No flutter, and hardly flattering

Representation Pic

While on my daily commute to work that crosses Bandra Kurla Complex, I was scanning my phone, when a post by BNHS reminded me about an upcoming Butterfly Festival. A few weeks before this alert, at a session with a bunch of middle-schoolers, I had revealed about the variety of butterfly species found in the Aarey forest and the neighbouring Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The sharing of trivia elicited "oohs" and "aahs" from kids who were part of the audience for a literature festival.

Cut back to that moment when I read the butterfly post. Soon after, a sort of urban serendipitous interlude occurred during that crater-marred drive by the upcoming BKC Metro station. My kaali-peeli had slowed down as it wormed its way through heavy traffic, and I was able to spot a beautiful black swallowtail fluttering past the taxi window. I wondered about this gorgeous creature, and if it had a home nearby.

Most of us are fully aware of BKCs infamous origins - One-time lush mangrove territory, threatened and diminishing Mithi River, filthy riverbed. You get the drift (apologies, if the riverine pun sounded intentional). Add to it the new piece in the manmade maze of construction - the Metro station. It's a fast-track to further unpleasant sights, since every passing day throws up a larger back-breaking pothole, another broken or garbage-strewn pavement, or a more clogged, debris-filled nullah. And yes, longer traffic jams. It's a tragic, slow-playing record that lakhs of us are subject to during our daily commute; a twisted contradictory ecosystem where swanky glass buildings, manicured lawns and BMW-owning corporates remain possibly oblivious to this melee that borders their world.

Amidst this absurd, character-less cardboard-like panorama that gets panned out every day in front of my eyes, I've always wondered why the gurus who planned this district never felt it critical enough to include ample green public spaces in the mix, especially given its eco-sensitive geography.

Barring a few blink-and-you miss green patches that skirt some sections of this business enclave, it's a concrete jungle. Tree-lined avenues and clean footpaths mostly cater to those working within the enclaves. Surely, plans could have been drawn up later, to make up for this terrible miss because the more you explore this cosmetic green-tinted oasis, the clearer the picture gets. MNCs, embassies and foreign banks, and the new entrant - big builder-backed gated townships, have gone all out to paint their addresses green but what about large parks for public access?

City-based environmentalists have cried hoarse about their ecology-related concerns around the Mithi river's course, of which BKC constitutes a sizeable chunk. We are no experts here, but any keen observer of the city's urban planning and infrastructure, will be left wondering about why such an obvious inclusion has never seen the light of day. The few open public spaces are either inconveniently located for public access or are unsafe after sundown. Then, there are the huge open plots that dot the district. These serve as parking lots, or venues for gigs, exhibitions, awards ceremonies, wedding receptions, and yes, the big money-spinner - political rallies. In the rainy season, these become mega breeding grounds for mosquitoes. However, nobody seems to care about converting at least some part of these gigantic plots into a butterfly garden or a biodiversity park that could showcase some of the fauna that once existed here.

Amidst these grey skies, a sliver of light can emerge. The surroundings of the new BKC Metro station are an eyesore, if I were to put it mildly. However, I believe that it offers a golden opportunity to the powers-that-be if they can take the visionary road with our city's fragile natural ecosystem. They should consider creating a green space from the flotsam and jetsam that is now integral to the area. It will be doubly valued because the area is bound to get even more congested once the line becomes operational. In fact, this could translate into a template that can be followed with other Metro stations in the city as well, space and logistics, permitting.

The rapid rise of gated communities near this Metro station makes it even more critical to look at this scenario. As civic authorities look inward and crorepati flat owners sip on their tequilas from infinity dip pools that overlook heaven knows what, the original landmass of this ecologically-sensitive area continues to gasp for breath. How and if the gods choose to act upon this glaring oversight from an environmental perspective is anyone's guess but if the city is ‘upgrading' - as the now-common signage text greets us everywhere, declares - we must upgrade in every sense. More so, in a city with a constantly-threatened green cover and where climate change has well and truly set in. Until then, that butterfly and its fellow species will have to flutter by and find its path in a polluted urban dwelling.

mid-day's Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city's sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
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