Finally,Mumbai to shift weather radar that stalled construction

The Doppler radar,which predicts weather patterns and is capable of weather surveillance up to 500 km,is presently installed atop an 18-storey building in Navy Nagar and has stalled 40-50 redevelopment projects over the past two years.

Chief Secretary Jayant Kumar Banthia last Friday met IMD officials along with representatives of the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing and Industries (MCHI) to discuss possible solutions to the restrictions imposed on redevelopment projects situated within the radar’s radial view of 10 km.

At present,all buildings over 75 m — the height at which the Doppler radar is installed — obstruct its radial view and need IMD clearance.

To ensure IMD’s cooperation,MCHI has agreed to fund the entire acquisition and installation cost of the new radar.

“The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will charge,say Rs 15 lakh,on projects that are planned above the 75 m height limit in the city. In other words,the cost of the new radar will be borne by the developers,” Banthia told The Indian Express.

Banthia said that although the government has not yet finalised on an alternative,it has to either install another radar at a new location or relocate the existing one that weighs over 15 tonnes.

“We are awaiting a technical report from IMD (Delhi) regarding the possibilities of relocating the Doppler radar from Navy Nagar. We have been informed that because the radar weighs so much,it would be difficult to shift it to another location. We are still looking for another suitable location within the city or outside its limits that will not affect development projects in Mumbai,” he said.

S G Kamble,IMD’s Director of Doppler Weather Radar,said,“Relocating the Doppler radar may not be the right solution not only because of its weight but also because of the installation problems.

“Once it is dismantled it is difficult to reinstall and even after that,it is known to face problems in functioning. This is already a problem,and we are finding it difficult to study weather patterns in some cases due to loss of data. We want to ensure that the Doppler radar can function properly and any further obstruction needs to be avoided,” he said.

The Maharashtra government had decided to set up the radar after the July 2005 deluge. In 2011,a no-objection certificate from the IMD was made mandatory for highrise buildings within a 10 km radius of the radar,which covers nearly all of South and Central Mumbai,including prime real estate hubs of Napean Sea Road,Girgaum,Mazgaon,Wadala,Worli,Mahalaxmi,Dharavi and Mohammed Ali Road.

Confirming that the MCHI will pay for the new radar,its president Vimal Shah said,“The Doppler radar height restriction severely affects the rehabilitation of millions of residents of dilapidated buildings in the island city. Not just current projects but any future projects in the city are being held back by this device. It is completely ridiculous that the government did not previously take into account that its view should be unobstructed. Already there many high-rises within its radius so why should new projects affect it further?”

Banthia said the decision to install the radar at its location was taken by the Central government.

“The Central government funded the acquisition and gave the location for installation after which the BMC gave its NOC. The matter was never referred to the state government and the implications of its location was not considered at the time. Now we are facing the impact of this,” he said.