Mumbai: IIT-Bombay denies blocking access to BMC, wants Powai lake to be clean and accessible for all

With rumours floating around about Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) allegedly blaming IIT Bombay for preventing access to the Powai lakefront, one of the most iconic tourist attractions in Mumbai known for its flora and fauna, the institution has issued a statement to the Free Press Journal on the same.

While maintaining that it has not received any formal communication on the issue of cycling and jogging track or walkway along the Powai lake periphery from the National Green Tribunal(NGT) or the BMC, the institution stated, "We wish to state that the institute has always co-operated with the BMC in giving them access to the lake and never created any impediments. For example, for many years now, IIT Bombay has provided BMC and its contractors access to the lake for the clearing of water hyacinth and grass. More recently, the survey for the jogging and cycling track project was done with access from the IIT side, which we facilitated on request from BMC. As a government institution, there is no question of not following the rules, or not cooperating with the BMC. IIT Bombay has also had a meeting with AMC (Project), MCGM, and his team on the jogging/cycling track."

IIT-B, which called itself a responsible custodian, also made it clear that they support the government's cause of making Powai lake clean and accessible to all residents, while "protecting and preserving its delicate ecosystem and the rich biodiversity."

The Free Press Journal reached out to many BMC officials for their perspective on the hearsay but to no avail.