Mumbai: All for a good causeway

The Mahim causeway, on Wednesday. It was built between 1841 and 1843 at a cost of Rs 2.03 lakh. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Residents of Mahim Koliwada, who feared they would have to shift to Mahul due to the construction of a new causeway bridge across the Mahim creek, have received assurances from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde that they will be allotted homes in the area where they have lived all these years. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is searching for permanent houses for 10 families under the Project Affected People scheme.

The civic body has been carrying out piling activities since January, and the project work will start in full swing after the monsoon. mid-day reported last year about the BMC issuing notices to the families in Mahim Koliwada. The civic body had decided to allot them alternative houses at Mahul but the residents were unwilling to shift there. They demanded that they receive accommodation in Mahim or surrounding areas.

Mahim Koliwada resident Bharti Tailor at her home

Shiv Sena legislator Sada Sarvankar, who represents the Mahim Assembly constituency, said, "The families and I met with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. BMC administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal was also present. The chief minister has asked the civic chief to allot the Koliwada residents alternative houses in Mahim or surrounding areas. I'm aware that the BMC is going to receive a few houses for PAP in Mahim. Within two months, the issue will be solved. The chief minister has also assured them of this."

Chahal told mid-day that if alternative houses are available in Mahim, they will surely be allotted. Meanwhile, one of the residents, Bharti Tailor, a widow who lives with her nine-year-old daughter and sister Sandhya Uprolkar, said, "Last year, we received a notice from the BMC. We have struggled a lot. Now, the chief minister has assured us that we will be allotted homes in Mahim itself. We hope we get them soon."

A plaque that records Lady Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy's generous contribution

Shraddha Patil, another resident, said, "Our family member met the chief minister last month. He promised that we would be given homes in Mahim. It not possible for us to shift to Mahul." Sagar Putra Rahivashi Seva Sangh has been fighting on behalf of the locals. Ravindra Patil, its president, said, "These families are not encroachers. These houses have been in the BMC records for decades. Our demand was simple: they need alternative houses in Mahim only as there are the issues of schooling and employment also."

Shraddha Patil, a resident of Mahim Koliwada, on Wednesday. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

"The 31.8-metre-wide causeway bridge is like a bottleneck. The new one will be 52 metres wide, which will help ease traffic woes. The new bridge will have 10 lanes whereas the current one has six. Also, the existing bridge has three pillars. The new one won't have any." The BMC planned to redo the bridge in 2019.

Mahim causeway bridge

BMC officials said the existing structure will not be demolished during the construction of the new one. "First, we will build the new bridge on either side of the causeway. After the completion of phase one, we demolish the old bridge. The construction of the bridge will take 36 months and cost of the project is Rs 103 crore. The Mahim causeway was built between 1841 and 1843 at a cost of Rs 2.03 lakh, of which Rs 1.55 lakh was donated by Lady Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy.