Coastal Road-affected fishers to get first instalment of compensation by June: BMC

Around 1,343 fishers affected by the Coastal Road project in South Mumbai will receive the first instalment of their compensation by June, with an initial disbursement of around ?130 crore expected to be approved by the BMC's finance department soon. Boat owners will receive between ?2,29,810 to ?4,56,903 per boat per year, while cast-netters and hand-pickers will receive about ?97,000 per year. Hand-pickers and cast net fishers will be entitled to compensation for an additional six years beyond the completion of the project's construction.

Mumbai: Around 1,343 fishers, whose livelihoods have been impacted by the Coastal Road project in South Mumbai, will receive the first instalment of their compensation by June, it was confirmed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials, who are privy to the matter.

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A written approval from the BMC’s finance department, for an initial disbursement of around ₹130 crore is expected within the next two to three working days.

“We have also written to the three impacted fisherfolk co-operatives at Haji Ali and Worli Koliwada. They have been asked to have the documents ready to claim compensation. The fisheries department will carry out a background check to verify their status as beneficiaries, after which the municipal commissioner will give his final approval,” said a senior official in the BMC’s Coastal Roads department.

“We expect this to be done in May itself so that the first instalment can be deposited in the accounts of the project affected persons’ by the first week of June,” added the official.

Hindustan Times was the first to report on the finalisation of the compensation policy, which was deputed to a team from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). It showed that the incomes and daily catch of marginal fisherfolk has reduced by half since work on MCRP took off in October 2018.

Boat owners will be paid between ₹2,29,810 to ₹4,56,903 per boat per year, depending on the size, while cast-netters and hand-pickers will receive around ₹97,000 per year. The impact of the project on hand-pickers and cast net fishers is more or less permanent, and they will be entitled to compensation for an additional six years beyond the completion of the project’s construction.

“This first instalment will cover damages to livelihood only between October 2018 to October 2022, which was the initial construction period. Compensation for impacts after October 2022 will be calculated at a later stage. It is planned to compensate up to the year October 2024, when the project is slated for completion,” the official added.

“The reduction in catch due to the project has affected the hand-pickers. The species they catch depend heavily on the intertidal ecosystem, living on small rocks and craggy seabed. The reclamation has impacted these species as small holes in the rocky seabed are filled and much of the waste construction material dredges down into the sea,” according to the TISS report.