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15 Sep 2015Hindustan Times (Mumbai)HT Correspondent ® htme...@hindustantimes.com
HT organised a roundtable of the BMC chief, transport experts and urban
planners to discuss the city’s largest and most contentious infrastructure
project — the coastal roadFrom page 01 The state government’s proposed freeway
along the city’s west coast, which aims to cut down peak hour traffic jams, was
the subject of fervent discussion, especially centred around the efficacy of
the Rs12,000 crore project.VIDYA SUBRAMANIAN/HTThe panel of experts at
Hindustan Times’ Roundtable on the Coastal Road held on Monday.On Monday,
Hindustan Times’ ‘Roundtable on the Coastal Road’ brought together various
stakeholders in the project, including transport experts, urban planners,
face-to-face with civic commissioner Ajoy Mehta, under whom the project will be
implemented over the next few years. The result was an informed debate on
issues such as environmental concerns, the need for public transport, the trust
deficit. It concluded with the BMC chief opening the doors for further debate
on the issue.
The experts focused on the need to push public mass transport with urban
planners and transport experts panning the project as being car centric,
terming the plan’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit System as ‘mere tokenism’. Urban
planners also raised the issue of the project’s impact on the environment, with
reclamation being allowed in the city after nearly two decades, for this
project.
“The entire project is car-centric. Few citizens will use the BRTS to travel
from the north-end of the city to the south because there are not many stops on
the route and it does not make sense to travel by a bus for shorter distances.
Thus, the very basic idea of mass transport is lost,’’ said Ashok Datar,
transport activist and conveyer of Mumbai Transport Forum (MTF).
Datar termed the BRTS on coastal road as‘ mere to kenism’, evenas he championed
the Mumbai Metro as the mass transit option. He said the coastal road will
cater to about two lakh citizens only, where as the city’s first Metroline,
built at acost of Rs4,000 crore, is being used by more than 2.5 lakh citizens.
Hussain Indorewala, urban planner and assistant professor with Kamla Raheja
Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture said, “We are spending crores of rupees on
a project that will cater to only 2% or 3% of the population. We have
well-established public transport, but we are moving away from it to promote
personal transport.”
However, Mehta said the coastal road project was finalised after adequate
studies, taking into consideration the needs of the city’s population as well
as increasing the number of private cars. “The resources to be used for this
project will not take away from any of the BMC’s development works such as
roads or storm water drains. BRTS is of an adequate size, adequate design and
is a dedicated route, so on what basis do we call it tokenism?”
Shishir Joshi, CEO of Mumbai First, an initiative of Mumbai Inc to transform
the city, agreed the public transport network had to be improved in the city,
but felt the coastal road was the need of the hour for a city like Mumbai.
But Darryl D’Monte, former editor and chairperson for the Forum of
Environmental Journalists of India (FEJI), said that all over the world, BRTS
is built on existing roads and at the cost of private cars. “There are views
that Mumbai is congested and we cannot have BRTS. But to decongest the city we
need a dedicated route for public transport.”
Addressing the issue of the north-south corridor’s various exits onto the
existing arterial roads, which would create congestion and could also lead to
floods (with Malad creek being disturbed), Shweta Wagh, urban planner and
assistant professor at the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture,
said, “There will be huge environmental loss because of the project and the
coastal road will also increase the risk of flooding.”
=========15 Sep 2015Hindustan Times (Mumbai)ENTRIES AND EXITS PROPOSED IN
DETAILED PROJECT REPORTKandivli, Malad-Marve Road May lead to traffic snarls
at: Malad-Marve Road, Shevantilal Khandwala Marg, Link Road, Giridharlal Marg,
Mahatma Gandhi Road
Malad near Mindspace May lead to traffic snarls at: Goregaon-Mulund link road,
MDP road, Sundar Nagar road, Veer Savarkar road flyover
Oshiwara May lead to traffic snarls at: BEST Colony Road, Link Road, Babu
Tatoba Toraskar Marg, Windsor Corporate Road, MTNL junction and Inorbit Mall
junction
Ritumbara College, Juhu May lead to traffic snarls at: Juhu circle junction,
New Versova link road
Carter Road, near Khar Danda Village May lead to traffic snarls at: Chitrakaar
Dhurandar Road, Linking Road junction, SV Road, Church Avenue Road, Linking
road-Turner Road junction
Otters Club, Carter Road May lead to traffic snarls at: Turner Road, Perry
Road, SV Road, Linking Road
Bandra Worli sea link (Bandra-end) May lead to traffic snarls at: KC Marg
junction, SV Road
To Bandra-Worli sea link, Worli sea face May lead to traffic snarls at: Khan
Abdul Gaffar Khan Road, Dr RG Thadani Marg, sea link road, Sir Pochkanwala
Road, Dr Annie Beasant Road
Amarsons Garden, Breach Candy May lead to traffic snarls at: Warden Road,
Bhulabhai Desai Road, August Kranti Marg, Napean Sea Road and Peddar Road.
While the traffic movement on these roads is slow through the day, the project
report says the roads needs only minor improvement to manage traffic
Free Press Journal Road, Nariman Point May lead to traffic snarls at: Jagannath
Bhosale Marg, Vidhan Bhavan Marg, towards Madam Cama road, Barrister Rajni
Patel Marg. All of them are arterial roads at Nariman Point and witness
slow-moving traffic during peak hoursMadh Island, Haji Ali ChowkMay lead to
traffic snarls at: Dr E Moses Road, Lala Lajpatrai Marg, Mahalaxmi-Moses Road
junction, Tardeo Road KANDIVLI near Institute of Fisheries Education. No
traffic issues Nariman Point======15 Sep 2015Hindustan Times (Mumbai)ABOUT THE
PROJECTAbout 186 hectares will be reclaimed for the project of which 91
hectares will be green space The coastal road will connect the western suburbs
along the coast with under-sea tunnels, roads on reclaimed land and elevated
road
=====15 Sep 2015Hindustan Times (Mumbai)WHAT THE DUTCH SUGGESTTwo experts from
Netherlands have submitted a report to the state government, suggesting ways in
which the public can be involved while carrying out work on the coastal road
=====15 Sep 2015Hindustan Times (Mumbai)ELICITING PUBLIC IDEASThe report
suggests citizens be asked to suggest ideas and designs for the project, in a
way that there are debates and discussions surrounding it. This way, both
experts and citizens could be involved
=====15 Sep 2015Hindustan Times (Mumbai)BOARD INVOLVING CIVIL SOCIETYThe report
has also suggested the establishment of a board, which must involve citizens,
NGOs, communities and experts, among other stakeholders. Such a board should be
allowed to make recommendations and advise the authority on project’s happenings
======15 Sep 2015Hindustan Times (Mumbai)SUGGESTIONS AND OBJECTIONS RECEIVED BY
THE BMC ON DRAFT DPRThe BMC made the DPR public in the month of June and called
for suggestions/ objections on it The initial deadline for the
suggestions/objections was July 27, which was further extended for a month The
BMC has received 779 suggestions/objections and is open more developmental
ideas296 objections received from fishermen alone406 emails received77 written
letters received=======15 Sep 2015Hindustan Times (Mumbai)what they saidCan the
coastal road be the answer to the city’s traffic woes? With opinions on this
project split, HT brought together a panel of activists, urban planners and
transport experts to discuss it with civic chief Ajoy Mehta.
====Municipal commissioner, BMCThe coastal road is cost effective and the
entire project has gone through the due process to verify if the city requires
it. We now have enough necessary evidence. We understand there are issues and
we are addressing them.
======transportation activist and convener of Mumbai Transport ForumThere are
many alternatives to improve the transport system in Mumbai, which authorities
must look at. There is nothing done to improve parking facilities in city, but
the BMC is constructing a mega project such as a coastal road. The project with
a huge budget of Rs11,000 crore is taking away our resources that can be used
later for better purposes.
=======Forum of Environmental Journalists of India (FEJI)There was no debate on
the project because the authorities did not consider public consultation an
important aspect. The detailed project report is also extremely complicated
because experts found it difficult to interpret. Citizens faced an even tougher
time understanding the plan. There must be simpler ways to reach out to
citizens.
===========urban researcher, assistant professor at K Raheja Vidyanidhi
Institute of Architecture (KRVIA)After the July 26, 2005 floods in Mumbai, many
storm water drain projects were proposed, but the authorities did not spend on
improving the drain networks. Instead, they plan to construct a road that will
worsen the city’s drainage problems. We are not learning from the world. We
have identified the problems clearly, but the steps being taken are completely
contradictory.
===========
CEO of Mumbai FirstThe coastal road is a great idea, but is mired by trust
deficit. The city needs such connectivity, but citizens are worried if the road
will be constructed according to BMC’s claims. The authorities must hold more
public meetings to understand citizens’ apprehensions and thereby find
alternatives and mitigations.
=========professor at KRVIAurban conservationist and assistantThe project
affects many communities, including fishermen and residents living in coastal
areas. Those living along the connecting roads that lead to the coastal road
will have to suffer through heavy traffic congestion. For instance, Carter
Road, which is a peaceful stretch with a beautiful promenade, will be packed
with traffic after the road is constructed.
========
