MUMBAI: The residents of Charkop Sector 8 are in for a rude surprise. The interchange of the extended Coastal Road is soon going to make inroads into their neighbourhood, altering forever their relative peace and their view of the vast swathes of mangroves. This reality hit them at the beginning of the month when 336 trees along their road were pasted with notices of cutting/ transplantation.
“Charkop Sector 8 is considered the best area in Charkop, thanks to the 136 hectares of mangroves that carry fresh air and biodiversity,” said Mili Shetty, chief coordinator of the Charkop Sector 8 Vikas Samiti, who followed up the residents’ objections to the tree-cutting with a letter to the BMC. “We are now very concerned about the imminent changes that could possibly wreck our neighbourhood. We’re a huge population with a lot to lose.”
The Samiti’s letter was addressed to the BMC’s bridges department, garden department, MP Piyush Goyal and MLA Sanjay Upadhyay. ‘In our meeting with officials a few weeks ago, in addition to the trees that were marked. We were told that the mangrove protection boundary wall, where the interchange will be built, will also be demolished and shifted 30 feet back,’ stated the letter. ‘What does this mean for the stretch of mangroves in the midst? Will they all be destroyed?’
The residents also questioned the fate of the 90-feet road on which the Coastal Road bridge is coming up—whether it would shrink to a 30-feet service road for the entire area, making it difficult for the fire brigade and ambulances to navigate as well as severely reduce the road parking of the residents who have little parking space within their compounds.
Another looming question is the elevation of the bridge’s interchange that will land right outside their windows and obstruct their view and air. Questioning what the bridge height will be and what noise pollution precautions have been planned, the residents also pointed out that interchange would worsen the many traffic bottlenecks on the junction.
The residents also raised their original question about the trees to be cut along their road, asking why the plan wasn’t drawn up in a way that would save them. While an official from the BMC’s bridges department promised that the trees along the side of the buildings would be saved and the plan revised, the residents were not satisfied.
“We insist that the Coastal Road connector be shifted to a place where there shall be no destruction of trees and mangroves and our well-maintained 90-feet Road remain safe,” concluded the letter, calling for the BMC’s officials to visit the area and demonstrate how the bridge is going to land as well as the changes it will effect in its wake.