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| Say No to the Coastal Road! - At the Public Meeting |
The 19th of July, Sunday, just when the sun was
setting over the low tide. A table, seating 5, put up on the dais of the Carter
Road Amphitheatre, with neat rows of around thirty-odd chairs arranged facing it. Standing all the way at the back, one could see rows of salt-n-pepper
heads, all listening intently to the five people on stage. The breeze was
coming in from sea, passing through the shallow mangroves. The abundant Sunday crowd,
gathering along the walkway, trying to grab a sentence or two of what the
experts on stage were trying to say, would disperse just as fast as they came.“This road isn't just going to affect the environment, it is
going to affect you all! The fresh air that brings you here every evening for
your walks? Soon, it will be poisonous air from the road!” declared Darryl D’Monte,
ex-Editor of The Times of India. D’Monte, and a bunch of other like-minded
individuals, were gathering to protest the Maharashtra Government’s Coastal
Road plan. In an elaborate meeting that lasted for a little less than two
hours, D’Monte and his panellists went through how the coastal road, one of the
city’s most ambitious projects, would alter their daily lives, why they should
care and how not many people did, and what they can do to help. Nearly every
resident in the audience stood up to ask questions and express their concern.
One resident even urged the by-standers to make a move and sign their petition
form. The movement needed them, and they needed Carter road. Although her monologue
did urge a few to go ahead and show their support for the movement, most just
went along minded their own business. The
meeting concluded with an appeal from the organisers to please support the
cause in any way they could, and that more such meeting will be conducted across
the coastal suburbs. All-in-all, the meeting was deemed a success.So, what was a man of Darryl D’Monte’s stature doing spearheading
a Bandra Residents Association meet? Not that nothing phenomenal has come out
of Bandra Residents Association meets (in the past, the association has managed
to revoke the BMC’s order to label one of its Koliwadas a slum), but why is he
fighting the coastal road project? And why is he getting so detailed? Do we
know? Should we? Here’s why.
The Coastal Road Project
The Maharashtra Government has received clearance to build a
coastal road, running from Nariman Point in the south to Kandivali in the North.
The road is to be approximately 35kms long, and allow vehicles to travel at
up to 90 kmph. The project is said to cost about ₹8,500 crore, inclusive of the
cost required for land reclamation. In a tweet about the project, Devendra
Fadnavis said “Coastal road will decongest traffic in Mumbai
Why not? Here’s why.
According to a flyer handed out at the protest, there are multiple reasons why we wouldn't want this, as a community.
- The sea, which brings fresh air, will now bring toxic fumes from the coastal road.
- Coastlines, beaches, gaothans and koliwadas will be destroyed forever.
- Mangroves, that protect Mumbai from flooding, and produce twice as much oxygen as most trees, will be wiped out in stretches.
- It will have a damaging effect on the livelihood of coastal communities, which includes 50,000 fishermen.
- It will cut off historical monuments, and result in the loss of diversity of waterfronts and public spaces.
- The current cost of the coastal road is ₹12,000 crores [sic]. Experts have shown that in less than half the cost, traffic can be eased out by implementing a comprehensive transportation policy. 45% of Mumbai travels by train, 22% by bus, 16% by two wheelers, and 7% use cars. Focus should be shifted on improving modes of transportation for 93% Mumbaikars.
So, where do we go from here?
What do we think? How much of what either part is saying makes sense to us? What we do know, is where Mr. Darryl D’Monte is taking this fight. In conversation, Mr.D’Monte happened to mention that he wants to be able to speak to as many people about the cause as possible. He said, that although the movement was getting maximum support from the English media, Marathi media seemed to be driving in the absolute opposite direction. He did, although, seem positive that the scene would change, and soon.
Opinion: Personally, I believe that the project isn’t well prioritised. It is false that this will be the fastest way to get from the south to the north. Trains are just as fast. The only thing trains lack is the luxury factor, and the prioritising of the rich, urban class seems to be prioritised in our policy making, more often than not. The only valid argument that the pro’s of the project hold, is the reduction of transport related pollution, thus effectively cutting down several respiratory problems in the city. But is the traffic the only source of pollution for us? We all know the answer to that. *cough* Wadala *cough* Darukhana *cough cough*. So as an undergraduate student, if I can say that cutting down the mangroves, the lungs of our city, in order to reduce air pollution, some really messed up logic is at play here.
Besides, I haven't even started talking about the number of people who will be forced to beg on the streets, thanks to the destruction of their livelihood. It’s a shame that the people in question are such culturally rich people too!
Where do we go from here?
That’s a really tough question to answer!
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