After a delay of more than four years, the BMC is working towards starting the construction of the proposed Green Park at Cuffe Parade.
The civic body had taken a decision of going ahead with the proposal in 2017.
However, work couldn’t start owing to the pandemic and resistance from the fishermen community. A meeting regarding this was held on August 4, following which local elected public representatives expressed their objections. The BMC intends to carry out reclamation of 56 hectares of land in the sea. The cost of the project is pegged at Rs 2,000 crore.
Harshita Narwekar, a local BJP corporator from Cuffe Parade, has written to the additional municipal commissioner, urging the civic body to rethink about this.
“Land reclamation in the sea will affect marine ecology, which will kill the fish. This will affect the livelihood of the Koli people. The BMC has promised to make a jetty for them as part of project, but the jetty will not be of any use if there is no fish,” said Narwekar.
Members of the local fishing (Koli) community have said that they will continue to oppose the project.
Sagar Dabri, chairperson of the Macchimar community and member of Macchimar Sarhoday Sahakari Society, “In the last few years, the water level in the sea rises after a brief spell of rain. This is happening because of the work being carried out at reclamation,” said Dabri.
“This project is threat to the nature and will have long term effects if it is implemented. We are following up with Mumbai Maritime Board and all the agencies involved to ensure it gets stalled,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior officials of the BMC have said that the locals will be taken into confidence before taking any major step related to the project.
"Last time when we had kept a presentation related to the project we invited members of the fishing community to understand the issue. We are holding dialogues with the members and we are trying to convince them that this project will reap benefits for them in future," said the official.
