Bombay HC reserves verdict on PILs against Mumbai's coastal road; petitioners allege project will destroy livelihoods, marine life

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court Monday reserved judgement on a bunch of petitions challenging the BMC’s Rs 14,000 crore coastal road project that proposes to connect Marine Drive area in south Mumbai to Borivali in north Mumbai. A division bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice NM Jamdar had commenced the hearing on 17 June on the petitions filed by activists, residents and fisherfolk from the city challenging the project. [caption id=“attachment_1404607” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Bombay High Court. Reuters[/caption] In April, the high court had prohibited the Brihnamumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) from carrying out any further work on the project, following which the civic corporation had appealed in the Supreme Court. In May, the apex court permitted the corporation to carry out existing work but prohibited them from any new work. The apex court had directed the high court to take up the petitions for final hearing. The petitioners challenged the reclamation and construction work for the project on the primary ground that it would result in damage to coastline, destroy major marine life along the coast as well as livelihoods of fisherfolk. The petitions claimed the project would irreversibly damage the coastal ecosystem and deprive the fishing community of its source of livelihood. The BMC had told the high court that it had all necessary approvals for the project. Appearing for the BMC, senior counsel Darius Khambata had argued that the coastal road project tries to address the issue of traffic congestion in Mumbai.