Coastal road project: BMC & fisherfolk reach deal, width between two pillars to be increased to let boats pass

The 10.5-km long coastal road is being built on reclaimed land with an aim to decongest traffic and connect Nariman Point with Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) at Worli.

The community had demanded that the width of the span be increased to 200 m. The BMC had refused, leading to protests and work being stalled for months. (File Photo)

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After nearly four years, the fisherfolk community and the BMC seem to have reached a common ground, with the civic body agreeing to increase the width of a proposed navigation span — as part of its ambitious Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP) — to 120 m. Navigation span refers to the area in which boats can navigate their way in a water body.

The 10.5-km long coastal road is being built on reclaimed land with an aim to decongest traffic and connect Nariman Point with Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) at Worli. At the Worli end, the BMC is constructing a traffic interchange to connect MCRP with BWSL. The interchange is going to be an elevated structure, which would come up on pillars constructed in the shallow waters of the sea.

While engineers associated with MCRP had said that the gap between each pillar would be around 60 m, members of the fisherfolk community from the Cleveland Bunder in Worli had claimed that it will be difficult to safely navigate their boats through such a short span, as the Bunder has shallow water with rocks and their boats could get damaged by tidal waves.

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The community had demanded that the width of the span be increased to 200 m. The BMC had refused, leading to protests and work being stalled for months.

After the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government came to power, a new technical committee was formed to solve this problem. The members of the committee included BMC engineers as well as representatives of the fisherfolk community, the National Institute of Oceanography and the Coast Guard. Officials said that after multiple assessments and technical visits, it was decided to increase the gap.

In a letter (accessed by The Indian Express) to the fisherfolk on December 12, the BMC has said that the request for a navigation span of 120 m between pier 7 and 8 has been accepted.

“The initial idea was there will be a gap of 60 m between each pillar. Based on the inputs of the committee, we will remove one pillar between pillars 7 and 9 so that we are able to get additional space of 60 m, which will help us create a 120-m wide navigational span,” Mantayya Swami, chief engineer of MCRP, said on Wednesday.

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He added that the 120-m gap will only be between two pillars. All remaining pillars will have a gap of 60 m. “Consultants are working to revise the existing design. The decision was taken after carrying out multiple field visits and assessing the practical aspects of the channel,” Swami said.

Architect and environmentalist Shweta Wagh – one of the authors of the report ‘Social Ecology of the Shallow Seas’, which spoke on the impact of coastal reclamation on the fishing community – said: “This is indeed a victory for the fishermen, who were chasing the matter consistently for years.”

Nitesh Patil, secretary of the Worli Koliwada Nakhwa Vyavsay Sahakari Society, which was spearheading the protest, said they are happy with BMC’s decision. “At first, we proposed 200 m, following which we carried out a technical assessment and decided that 160 m would do us fine. After the committee was formed, several pros and cons were discussed and based on inputs from both parties, the width was decided to be 120 m.”

Pratip Acharya

Pratip Acharya is a seasoned journalist based in Mumbai reporting for The Indian Express. With a career spanning over a decade, his work demonstrates strong Expertise and Authority in critical urban issues, civic affairs, and electoral politics across Eastern and Western India. Expertise & Authority Current Role: Journalist, The Indian Express (IE), reporting from Mumbai. Core Authority: Pratip's reporting focuses sharply on local democracy and development, specializing in: Urban Governance and Civic Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis of municipal decision-making, city planning, and local infrastructure, essential for informed urban reporting. City Politics and Environment: Covering the political dynamics of Mumbai and surrounding areas, alongside critical environmental challenges impacting the metro region. Electoral Coverage (High-Stakes Experience): He has extensive experience in high-stakes political reporting, having covered major elections, establishing his Trustworthiness in political analysis: National: Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019. State: West Bengal Assembly elections in 2016 and Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019. Major Assignments (Ground Reporting): Pratip demonstrated commitment during crises by conducting ground reporting throughout the Covid-19 pandemic since its breakout in 2020, offering first-hand accounts and analysis of the public health crisis. Experience Extensive Experience: Starting his career in 2014, Pratip has built his foundation across multiple prominent English dailies: Started at The Times of India in Kolkata (2014). Relocated to Mumbai (2016) and worked with The Free Press Journal and Hindustan Times before joining The Indian Express. Pratip Acharya's diverse experience across major publications, coupled with his specialized focus on the intricate details of urban governance and a track record of covering major electoral and health crises, establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for news from India's critical metropolitan centres. ... Read More

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