Mumbai: Deadline for citizens’ suggestions on coastal road project extended

The deadline to send suggestions and objections on the coastal road project, which ended on Monday, has now been extended by a month.

Citizens can now examine the detailed project report put on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s website and send their views (suggestions or objections) to the civic body by August 27. They can also send their objections about the possible environmental impact to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), which had on July 7 issued a draft notification, giving the green nod to the ambitious project.

The move to extend the deadline, BMC officials said, is to ensure citizens get enough time to study the report uploaded online on the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) website (www.mcgm.gov.in). In the past one month, since the report has been made public, 163 letters have been sent by citizens, transport experts, environmentalists, fishermen and other stakeholders.

A senior civic official said, “Since the detailed plan report is vast and complex, we felt the deadline must be extended so that any apprehensions and suggestions by citizens and experts can be considered and solved before starting the project. The extension will help us get more feedback.”

The civic body will not give a public hearing to every individual who sends objections. “But we will consider every point raised in the letters and make changes wherever required,” said additional municipal commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee.

The 33-km-long coastal road is proposed to be built on Mumbai’s western coastline between Nariman Point and Kandivli at an estimated cost of Rs11,000 crore. It is being seen as a solution to traffic congestion on city’s roads, although several citizen groups and experts are opposed to it citing various reasons, including the possibile damage to the coastal ecology because of reclamation proposed on 168 hectares.

HT had reported on how citizens had sent only a few suggestions and objections because they complained the report is complex to understand. The draft report prepared by a consultant appointed by BMC shows the eight-lane road will include 12 interchanging points at various locations between Nariman Point and Kandivli, reclamation of approximately 168 hectares, construction of 10km of undersea tunnels and destruction of mangroves in the western suburb.

Fishermen and environmentalists were the first to protest against the plan because it affected the fishing community’s business and could potentially have a huge environmental impact as complained by environmentalists.

CITIZEN FEEDBACK
* Browse through the detailed coastal road project report on www.mcgm.gov.in
* Send your objections or opinion on the project to the MoEF on bsinha92@gmail.com
* Send your suggestions to the BMC on dycherdsplg@yahoo.co.in
* Last date to submit suggestions or objections: August 27