Exclusive: 94 trees to go for Nariman Point-Cuffe Parade sea-link

Citizens have expressed concerns that this project, like the Coastal Road on Marine Drive, will completely overhaul the neighbourhood, bringing in large amounts of traffic thoroughfare, and leading to increased levels of noise and air pollution

Mumbai: At least 94 trees in South Mumbai will be felled to make way for the Mumbai Metropolitan Development Authority’s (MMRDA) proposed sea-link connecting Nariman Point with Colaba and Cuffe Parade, including large trees that have for years shaded the avenues around the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) and the Trident Hotel.

Mumbai, India - March 18, 2023: Trees adjacent to Trident, NCPA Apartment and NCPA, at Nariman Point, in Mumbai, India, on Saturday, March 18, 2023. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

Seventy-one of the affected trees are in this vicinity, including varieties of gulmohar, white silk cotton trees, banyan, copper pod trees, and varieties of palm, according to the MMRDA’s detailed project report (DPR). The remaining twenty-three trees are located at the Colaba-end of the 1.77-km-long bridge, the MMRDA’s preliminary survey found.

Citizens have expressed concerns that this project, like the Coastal Road on Marine Drive, will completely overhaul the neighbourhood, bringing in large amounts of traffic thoroughfare, and leading to increased levels of noise and air pollution.

Megha Shah, a Churchgate resident who takes her morning walks at Nariman Point, said, “There are many more walkers coming to Nariman Point now after construction of the Coastal Road began because you can’t exercise around such loud noises and dust. The row of trees on Nariman Point, from Trident Hotel up to the NCPA, has been well maintained and really adds to the appeal for pedestrians. It would be a real shame to see them go. Nariman Point is a relatively quiet patch compared to the rest of Marine Drive and the beauty of the area will be completely taken away if it is opened up to more traffic.”

The bridge will fill in the ‘missing link’ connecting Nariman Point to Navy Nagar, and will be constructed to serve as an extension of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Coastal Road which terminates on Marine Drive. As per the MMRDA’s traffic analysis, the junctions at both ends of the bridge see a traffic volume of around 98,564 vehicles (passenger car units) per day, of which about 15,610 vehicles are predicted to be diverted to the proposed bridge by the year 2031, rising to more than 47,000 vehicles by 2051.

There will be two major intersections created along this route, one at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road at Nariman Point, and the other on the Colaba-end, at the junction of Captain Prakash Pethe Marg and Wodehouse Road. “A 1,400 square-metre viewing gallery and deck will also be constructed on the bridge to attract tourists,” said an official familiar with the development.

Commenting on the loss of trees, the official clarified that there are no “rare or endangered” species observed within the upcoming bridge’s right-of-way. “There are more well-known trees like mango, neem, jackfruit, jamun, badam and teak which are within 500 metres of the alignment but they will not be cut. The BMC’s tree authority will decide on the permissions once we have raised the request,” they said.