Mumbai: Petition to BMC from citizens for tweak in massive Coastal Road Project

Architect Alan Abraham says his proposal to move the Coastal Road  ramps to the centre is an easy, cost- effective solution to multiple problems. Pic/Ashish Raje

Marine Drive is over 100 years old. The Coastal Road Project, which is being built along its promenade, is going to stay with us for another 100 years. And, if you are living with an infrastructure so old, you might as well build it well so people can celebrate it every day," says Alan Abraham. The Bandra-based architect has a suggestion for the BMC's vision behind the Rs 12,000 crore mega infrastructure proposal-realign the ramps to the Coastal Road tunnels. Moving them from the sides-where they brazenly obstruct sea view and cut off access to the footpath-to the centre, offers an easy solution to multiple problems, Abraham argues.

Engineering equipment at the Parsi Gate site on Marine Drive. The Parsi community alleges the BMC kept it in the dark about moving the iconic gate's location and approached them for approval six years after the planning phase, in June last year, when eight machines were already in place near Mafatlal Bath Club. Pic/Atul Kamble

"The Coastal Road Project is an eight-lane signal-free expressway and will cut the city off from the sea. At Marine Drive, after the Princess Street flyover, they've planned to build a three-lane tunnel for which land is being reclaimed and a heritage precinct, altered. This tunnel has been positioned to the left, obstructing access and view of the sea. Additionally, it will cause confusion for drivers. In most other crucial roads, including at the Sahar underpass, the fast moving traffic lane is usually at the centre or the right."

The proposal is part of efforts by The Bombay Greenway, his firm's not-for-profit urban design and research platform, with an aim to create places for communities to thrive in. This pro-bono platform identifies potential pitfalls in government infrastructure projects and comes up with solutions after discussion with all the stakeholders.

Abraham says that there is an added benefit if this tweak is considered. The Parsi Gate, a 100-year-old heritage structure adjoining the footpath is used by members of the Parsi Zoroastrian community to access a narrow strip of the beach to offer prayers to the ocean. Located opposite Taraporevala Aquarium, this is where the Coastal Road's north-bound tunnel has been planned. Mirroring Persian architectural style, the pillars are five metres wide and made of Malad stone. The community is upset that it will not have access to the site, which they use during Ava Nu Parab, a day to celebrate the divinity of water. The members have long petitioned the BMC to reconsider the shifting, but the civic body has said it has received an NOC from the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) for construction work.

In September last year, Havovi Sukhadwala, a member of the community, had filed an online petition via change.org to save the structure. The petition argued that the civic body hasn't acquired an NOC from the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee for relocating the structure. "The gate is carved with Zoroastrian motifs with steps between them to access the beach, where all Mumbaikars could offer their prayers to the sea," Sukhadwala wrote in the petition. She tells mid-day, "It is believed that Avan Yazad, an angel, resides over water, and she brings about purity, fertility and prosperity. We are particular while praying to her, and we are not meant to pollute the sea by making offerings. Every month, you will find a toran [garland] hanging between the two pillars of the gate. Even in the lockdown, when all the temples were shut, our community members went to the Parsi Gate. It's sacred for us."

According to the BMC plan, the ramps are also going to have a canopy, blocking the view of the gate. Abraham adds, "The plan renders Parsi Gate useless. I believe they are putting a canopy to reduce the flooding effect, as the ramps have been planned very close to the footpath. If the ramps are moved to the centre, and we avoid the canopies, it will not only be cheaper, but better in all respects-for traffic flow, visually, in terms of accessibility, and the overall impact on this heritage area. It would be a win-win for all."

When the Bombay Parsi Panchayet (BPP) members opposed the construction of the ramps, the BMC suggested that the gate be relocated. "We have seen the new spot they are suggesting, and it has no beach. The wave impact there will drown us if we were to walk down. The irony is that the Parsi Gate was restored and renovated in 2018 by the BMC Heritage Cell. We want to ask them, then why dismantle it? The BMC asks us why we didn't take an objection to the plan in 2014 when it was put up on their website. But nowhere on the website was there a mention of shifting the Parsi Gate to a new spot. They are trying to bulldoze us because we are a minuscule minority, and not a votebank. They approached us for approval in June 2020 in the construction phase after eight machines were already in place near Mafatlal Bath Club. They should have come to us in the planning stage," adds Sukhadwala.

It's not just the community. Abraham's suggestion also has the support of the Nariman Point Churchgate Citizens' Association. Atul Kumar, founder of Art Deco Mumbai, and a member of the body, says, "Alan's proposal makes logical sense. It doesn't seem to involve any major realignment, which hopefully makes it feasible. If it's a good solution, it should be adopted. If it is going to materially delay the project and inflate the overall cost in a significant way, then that may pose a challenge. But we should request the government to look at it and evaluate it."

About their meetings with the BMC, Abraham says that he, along with corporator Harshita Narwekar, met municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal and assistant municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide, a month ago. Another meeting took place more recently, where Abraham was accompanied by MLA Rahul Narwekar. While Chahal is believed to have liked the suggestion, and wondered why it was not being implemented, he redirected them to Bhide. "Ms Bhide said she could not speak about the design or technicalities and would set up a meeting between us and the technical team," says Abraham, hoping a meeting with the chief engineer of the Coastal Road Project, Vijay Nighot, yields results.

Harshita says she believes the plan is feasible because Abraham's argument is not to change the tunnel plan, but the ramps. "At this point, it does seem doable. I am not a technical expert, hence the meeting with the chief engineer is crucial. Even if it means going back to the drawing board and delaying the project by a few weeks in the interest of the people, we should." Abraham says his team is trying to provide an alternate solution without disrupting the plans of the government. "We believe it is entirely possible. And our plans are available online for the public to see and judge."

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