Top citizens write to govt over interchange between coastal road and Bandra-Worli sea link

Bandra-worli sea link. Pic/ PTI

Over 50 prominent citizens including architects, urban planners, academics, activists and a former Mumbai municipal commissioner have written an open letter to the chief minister and cabinet minister for environment, seeking their intervention on behalf of the fishermen's community over the interchange between the coastal road and the Bandra Worli sea link.

The fisherfolk have blockaded construction of an interchange between the coastal road and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link since October 30, 2021 claiming that it would cut them off from their traditional fishing grounds and force closure of Cleveland Bunder. The primary demand is a span of 200 metre under the proposed interchange, as opposed to the BMC's proposed span of 60 metre, which the fisherfolk say is not enough to ensure safe passage for their boats.

"We write this letter to express our concern about the wellbeing of the Worli fisherfolk, who have been peacefully protesting for the past two months to protect their customary rights, and their right to livelihood. We are worried that a government that claims to be pro-people and pro-environment has allowed this injustice to continue and has done very little to address the very legitimate demands of the community," the appeal states.

"The MCGM did not consult the two societies of artisanal fisher-folk in Worli during the planning and design stage of the project. The environment and social impact assessment for the Coastal Road in the Detailed Project Report for the coastal road had not even acknowledged the existence of fishing activity in the area," the letter, a copy of which is with Mid-Day, states.

Since work on the interchange has not yet commenced, it is still possible to execute a design change to increase the span as demanded by the fisherfolk, it adds.

The signatories include former BMC commissioner DM Sukhtankar, renowned architect Shirish Patel, architect Rahul Mehrotra, transport expert Ashok Datar, and 45 others.