After protest, citizens’ groups to plan next step

A day after the public meeting on the Peddar Road flyover was disrupted, resident groups opposed to the project have decided to hold a meeting on Wednesday and chart the way forward.

A day after the public meeting on the Peddar Road flyover was disrupted, resident groups opposed to the project have decided to hold a meeting on Wednesday and chart the way forward.

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The groups are determined to take on the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which wants to start work on the flyover as soon as possible.

The resident groups are also contemplating filing a police complaint against those who disrupted the hearing.

Around 70 Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) activists had stormed the public hearing and had gotten into a verbal battle with residents opposed to the flyover, forcing the hearing to be adjourned.

“The citizens groups will come together on Wednesday and plan future course of action,” said Veena Singhal, chairperson, Peddar Road Residents Association.

The association has also drafted letters to the chief minister, prime minister, and the environment ministry, asking them to intervene and address their concerns at the earliest.

Residents of Peddar Road and adjoining areas have been opposing the flyover, which they claim will lead to pollution, traffic congestion and accidents.

The MSRDC, however, seems set on going ahead with the project — in consideration for the last decade — which proposes to make the commute to south Mumbai smoother.

MSRDC officials claimed that they held the public hearing even though it was not mandatory for them to do so.

However, after the ensuing ruckus, they do not want to hold any more meetings.

“We will inform the ministry of what happened at the meeting and request them to give the approval, so that we can start the project,” MSRDC vice chairman and managing director Bipin Shrimali said.

However, citizens claim that they will force the government to hold another hearing.

“The meeting was adjourned because of the chaos. It was not adjourned sine die. We will fight to ensure that a hearing is held again,” said BA Desai, a former MLA from Malabar Hill.