Mumbai engineer suggests double-decker roads in city

Prakash Chanderkar speaks about the alternative he suggested for the Coastal Road at his Worli residence. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

After receiving stiff opposition from the fishermen community and environmentalists for the Rs13,000-crore Coastal Road project, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is all set to face another legal battle. Seventy-three-year-old Worli resident Prakash Chanderkar, who holds a masters degree in both mechanical and electrical engineering, has filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court against the project. He claims that constructing double-decker roads at two locations would make the Coastal Road redundant.

The PIL proposes that double-decker roads should be constructed over existing roads to address the city's traffic issues. Chanderkar further claims that the alternative given by him would neither violate norms of the Coastal Regulation Zones nor adversely impact the environment or affect the activities of the Koli community.

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Chanderkar's close association with Worli's Koli community led him to file the PIL in the matter. He said that his primary objective was to save the community from losing their livelihood. He pointed out that he has been in Mumbai since he was born in 1948 and had noticed the increase in number of cars over the past 20-25 years. "These cars are contributing to the city's pollution. Being an engineer, I have proposed an engineering solution to the problem and unlike the Coastal Road, it is cheaper and technically viable," he said.

Chanderkar has proposed an alternate route for the stretch from Nariman Point to the Bandra Worli Sea Link. The PIL mentions that a double-decker road should be constructed on top of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Marg near Marine Drive and run through Girgaon, Kemps Corner, Mahalaxmi and then reach the Worli end of the Sea Link. Similarly, for the stretch from Bandra Worli Sea Link till Versova, he has said that a double-decker road should be constructed over Linking Road towards Juhu Garden.

He said that the government took the decision of building the Coastal Road without considering the opinions of the general public or even their needs. "The government is of the people, by the people but not for the people. It takes a decision for the people and then tells them that it is good for them. The idea of building the Coastal Road is not a futuristic solution," he added.

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As a long-term solution, Chanderkar said the government should create parking lots around Bandra Kurla Complex and encourage people to park their vehicles there and then take public transport to go to South Mumbai. "Currently, majority of the people live in the north and travel to the south for work every day. Instead of adding to the traffic, the government should encourage people to rely on public transport more. This has been implemented in cities like New York and can work here too," he said.

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6
No. of legal cases the BMC is fighting against the Coastal Road project

June 19
Day Prakash Chanderkar had filed the PIL

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