Opposition to Coastal Road

Milind Tambe

Disregarding the opposition of local fishermen, part of the work of the coastal road has started, and already heated tempers are running high once again.

The construction of the coastal road has been stalled for two months due to a protest by fishermen who fear that traditional businesses will be destroyed. The Coastal Road Authority, however, is keen to say that the project will improve traffic flow in Mumbai. A committee of experts is inspecting and giving the outline of the project.

A review of the same is as follows:

Fishermen's opposition to bridges:

1. Near Worli, the municipality will construct two bridges connecting the Bandra-Worli C-link with the coastal road. Fishermen have opposed it and due to it, work has been delayed for two-months. Cleveland Jetty near Worli supports 200 families in Worli Koliwada. It involves Thakhatla, fishermen and small-scale retailers. This ... is a century old.

2. Constructing an interchange at the other end of the Coastal Road which will connect to the Bandra-Worli Sea-Link. Fishermen say the piers under construction at the interchange, just one kilometer inland from the Cleveland Jetty, will obstruct the only waterway available to boats. At present, boats have to navigate a rocky and difficult passage after leaving Cleveland Jetty.

3. At present, small-scale and traditional fishing in shallow waters near the Agafi coast without venturing into the deep sea is essential for the livelihood of small fishermen. At present, boats pass through two pillars 30 meters apart that support the Bandra-Worli Sea-link. Once the interchange is built there, the boats will again have to pass through the four pillars. According to the current plan, the municipality will keep a distance of 60 meters between the pillars. However, the fishermen claim that the distance is not enough.

The risk of losing the business completely

We need a distance of at least 200 meters to transport our boats safely, said Nitesh Patil, Director, Worli Koliwada Nakhwa Vikas Cooperative Society. Wind and waves are abundant in the sea. So there is more risk of the boats tossing and turning. Patil has also expressed fear that a strong wave or a sudden wind may break the small boats against the poles. Patil said, the Sea-Link pillars have already reduced their value and now two more bridges threaten to destroy our business completely. Not more than one boat can pass through these piers at a given time, and this has reduced the boat’s speed, he said.

The coastal road work had to be halted 12 times as the fishermen aggressively demanded it.

Currently a dry season of fishing is going on in Mumbai. For more than two months, around 200 fishermen in Worli Koliwada have not taken their boats out for fishing every morning. On the other hand, their movements are currently underway to stop the construction of the coastal road and keep a watch on the activities.

Under the guidance of consultants:1. The municipality says that the coastal road project design has been prepared after study under the guidance of experts. The current Bandra-Worli sea link has a clear width of 17 meters between the two pillars for fishermen and boats can pass through only one spot. However, the project will allow boats to pass through three spans. The distance between each span is 56 meters, says the municipality.

2. According to the Inland Waterways Authority of India guidelines issued by the Maharashtra Maritime Board, a navigation span of 30 meters is sufficient, the municipality says. According to the guidelines, the navigation span should be eight times that of the boat's length.

3. According to the statistics of the State Agriculture Department, the largest licensed vehicle on Worli Jetty is 104 meters long and 3.8 meters wide with a carrying capacity of 4,980 kg. For double carriage- the maximum navigation span should be max 30.4 m, but It was also said that in the Mumbai Coastal Road project, the provided 60m navigational span is more than twice the requirement.

How will the authorities find a solution?

Tata Institute of Social Sciences has been appointed to formulate a policy for compensation to the fishermen during the construction of the project. In a meeting held in October, Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal also agreed to conduct an independent review of the fishermen's demands for the interchange restructuring, though the municipality has asked the fishermen to appoint an independent, technical committee that can review their demands impartially, but the fishermen's alliance has opposed it, says Deepak Patil, a fisherman. Patil also wonders if inexperienced officers who know nothing about the sea or fishing, and who are ignorant of the problems in the sea will take action.