Govt lifts stay, MSRDC digs its heels in

“We have started the remaining reclamation for the approach road since we have to complete it before the monsoon ie, by June 15, or else whatever we have reclaimed will be washed away. Simultaneously, work will be started for constructing pedestrian subways for persons who wish to go to the waterfront,” an MSRDC official explains. Till date, around 14 hectares of land have been reclaimed with another 13 hectares more to be reclaimed soon, the official adds.

According to the expert committee, the additional reclamation of 22.5 hectares was an “inadvertent mistake” in correspondence between the MSRDC and the ministry dated March 23, 1998. The report adds that it had not been clarified that the 4.7 hectares mentioned in the letter was only for the promenade and that the addtitional 22.5 hectares was for the approach road.

It was alleged that the corporation had reclaimed 22 hectares in violation of the MoEF’s sanction, which prompted the state government to issue a stay on the reclamation.

The three-member committee headed by Dr Suresh Joshi, principal secretary, state Urban Development Department, also included S D Jadhav, deputy secretary, state Environment Department, and M Subba Rao, joint director, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The MSRDC has submitted the project before the state Cabinet for final approval to work out clear-cut financing sources for the project, which has an over Rs 700 crore debt portion in the next three years.

R K Jha, executive director, MSRDC, says: “Now that the confusion has been resolved we are placing the matter before the state Cabinet. There are several ways being worked out which include the government’s contribution along with raising money from the money market by way of bonds with government guarantee. The Cabinet clearance may come by the first week of June.”

However, there had been other allegations of utilising the reclaimed area for commercial exploitation, though this committee has not dealt with that issue. Sources say the terms of reference given to this committee do not involve any other details of the project but deal exclusively with reclamation.