23.7.10

Mumbai planners discuss reclamation

Land from the sea might begin to be reclaimed again at select places in the city and suburbs for housing, recreation and green space development, thus generating huge revenues for the state government. Planners are discussing the use of reclamation for creating more land space for redevelopment in the concept plan for Mumbai being drawn up by the Singapore firm, Surbana International.
Reclamation was used in a major way to develop the city and suburbs during the British colonial period when Mumbai was being built. It was used again in the 1960s in areas like Bandra Reclamation and Nariman Point, generating much controversy. MMRDA commissioner, Ratnakar Gaikwad, said reclamation was being discussed as
one of the options for the city. “Reclamation done in a scientific manner will benefit the city and give the state government revenue to build more city projects,’’ he said. When contacted, the head of the Mumbai Transformation Unit of the All India Institute of Local Self Government, U P S Madan said, “Reclamation—if done in a proper manner—is useful and has been done in Singapore, Japan and in other countries in Europe,’’ he said.
Civic circles point out that the Bandra Reclamation work in the 1960s has deprived fishermen of their livelihood and blocked the mouth of the Mithi River, one of the causes of the river flooding its banks in the 2005 floods. Gaikwad said scientific reclamation would be done only after proper studies and a debate on the issue. “It will not be like the Nariman Point area which was reclaimed but without any proper studies,’’ he said. City civic circles said reclamation work in the city suffered a blow when in the 1970s, the Supreme Court instituted a series of injunctions protecting the shoreline and access to it for fishermen. These injunctions, along with the creation of Coastal Regulatory Zones in the 1990s and growing environmental concerns, put a stop to largescale reclamation projects in Mumbai.

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