Mumbai Maritime Board writes to PWD over unauthorised dumping of debris on beach at Carter Road

In its letter, the MMB said, “It has come to our notice that five trucks have dumped debris on the Carter Road beach on March 8, 2025. This place is within the jurisdiction of MMB; therefore it is immediately instructed that the dumped debris should be immediately removed from the said place”.

The MMB emphasised that any agency executing a project must obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the board before starting work along Mumbai’s shoreline. The MMB noted that it has not issued any NOC for the ongoing construction at Carter Road.

Meanwhile, residents have reported that the workers have been dumping the debris since the previous week. Zoru Bhathena, a resident and activist, told The Indian Express that a delegation of residents met with PWD officials on Monday afternoon.

“The PWD officials have said the fisherfolk had requested the platform to be constructed near their existing working area rather than on the sandy beach. The working area of fisherfolk is within 50 metre buffer of the mangrove zone, and PWD officials have said that they are constructing the platform on the sandy beach to avoid taking permission from the mangrove cell,” Bhathena said.

“The platform is not designed as a natural structure and it will disrupt the tidal waves. Therefore, we will be writing to the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management (MCZMA) and Harbour Engineering Division to halt the work immediately,” he added.

Meanwhile, a PWD official claimed that the proposed structure is not intended to obstruct the natural flow of water. However, the official confirmed that no NOC had been obtained from the Mangrove Cell or MMB before proceeding with the construction.

“There are provisions for acquiring post-facto NOC as well. Our target is to complete the work before monsoon so that the fisherfolk do not face any inconvenience when parking their boats during the rain,” said the officer.