The BMC will sanction Rs 1.5 crore as consultation fee to the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) to conduct a comprehensive scientific survey to scrutinise the loss suffered by fisherfolk of Worli due to the ongoing construction of the Coastal Road project. The proposal will be tabled before the standing committee today.
Considering the conditions laid down by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the High Court’s directives, the BMC had decided to compensate for the loss suffered by the fisherfolk residing in Worli. In 2019, the BMC had sought a report from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). The two institutes stated that the project will impact the livelihoods in the fishing communities.
The BMC wanted to appoint a new consultant to ascertain the actual loss and carry out a comprehensive study. It then invited tenders twice, but no one had evinced interest. BMC officials then once again approached ICAR-CMFRI for a survey which suggested that the BMC should consult TISS.
The TISS accepted the proposal and informed the civic body that it would take nine months to conduct a survey and 30 institute officers will work for the project. TISS has also sought Rs 1.5 crore as consultation fee.
Ravi Raja, the Congress group leader in the BMC, said, “When the project was discussed before the standing committee for the first time, we the Congress party had raised this issue. We had also demanded that the BMC must first resolve the issues faced by the community and then begin with the project. Now this issue has raised its head once again. All that the BMC does is to appoint consultants and increase the overall cost of the project.”
