Worli fishers halt Coastal Road work again, demand answers from BMC

In the latest protest, several boats from Worli Koliwada occupied the construction site at 11:30 am, disrupting the operations of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) contractor

Mumbai For the twelfth time in the last seven months, fisherfolk from Worli Koliwada stopped the construction work of the upcoming Coastal Road-Bandra Worli Sea Link interchange on Monday.

This protest comes three weeks after an independent assessment of their demands was submitted to the BMC and state environment minister and Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

In the latest protest, several boats from Worli Koliwada occupied the construction site at 11:30 am, disrupting the operations of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) contractor. They refused to let them work on the navigation channel until the dispute was resolved.

This protest comes three weeks after an independent assessment of their demands was submitted to the BMC and state environment minister and Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray.

The assessment, carried out by coastal geomorphologist Sudhakar Thakurdesai at the behest of the Worli Koliwada Nakhava Matsyavyavsay Sahakari Society (WKNMSS), states that the fishers require at least 160 metres under the interchange to ensure safe passage for boats venturing out to the open sea from Cleveland Bunder, a centuries-old artisan fishing port in Worli. In its current design specifications, the BMC has proposed a 60 metres span.

Nitesh Patil of the Worli Koliwada Nakhwa Matsyavevsay Sahakari Society, said, “We have not received any response from the BMC after Thakurdesai’s report was submitted to them, despite promises that they would accommodate our demands if a competent authority was able to validate the same. We will not allow the contractors to resume work until our demands for a redesign are met.”

In his assessment, Thakurdesai concluded that the construction of pillars will increase the turbulence in the area, particularly in the shallow, precarious navigation route leading from Cleveland Bunder into the sea.

“The vessels need a minimum span of 160 metres looking at the storm surge recorded on Mumbai coast for safe passage,” he said. The report also suggested that routine monitoring of the sandy beaches and shoreline should be carried out before, during and after the project, to get a comparative picture of the change in the shoreline.

Chandhar Kandalkar, chief engineer in the BMC’s Coastal Roads department, however, said, “The fisherfolk’s report has been sent to the National Institute of Oceanography for their remarks. A decision on the span will be taken only after they verify the contents of the report.”

BMC commissioner Iqbal Chahal did not respond to requests for comment on Monday. Chandhar Kandalkar, chief engineer in the BMC’s Coastal Roads department, also did not respond to requests for comment.

But speaking to Hindustan Times in November last year, Chahal had said that the municipal corporation is not opposed to redesigning the interchange, provided that fisherfolk’s demands were first “properly reviewed”.

“We suggest that an independent, qualified institute be appointed to review the situation. The fisherfolk can choose the organisation they feel is best for the task…the demand for redesigning needs to be substantiated through a proper assessment,” Chahal had said.

According to the Marine Fisheries Statistics of 2016, the Worli fishing village has 800 fishing families and a population of 3,055. The two fishermen societies, namely the Worli Macchimaar Sarvoday Co-op Society Ltd and the Worli Koliwada Nakhwa Fisheries Coop Society Ltd have 190 boats. The Worli landing centre recorded a production of 2,575 tonnes in the year 2017-18.