Mumbai: Public hearings for the 23-km-long Versova-Bhayander coastal road were not held specifically for the fishing communities because the road does not run through any fishing villages, said BMC officials. But the potential impact of creekside construction and mangrove loss on their livelihoods has been recognised and will be compensated, they added.Authorities are commissioning the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Versova to conduct a socio-economic impact assessment, including baseline surveys and identification of affected persons. Compensation, rehabilitation, and mitigation measures will be implemented based on the study recommendations, an official added. Fisherfolk say the surveys have not yet begun, even though construction work has started. Some 103 hectares of mangrove land will be affected by the construction. Despite protests, the BMC claims the transport benefits of the Versova-Bhayander coastal road will outweigh the costs to local ecology. The project cost-benefit analysis had found that 50 lakh people will benefit per day from the road. Asked how this figure was calculated, officials said the numbers were based on regional mobility and service population analysis. “The project serves a combined projected population of approximately 2.15–2.20 crore (21-22 million) across Mumbai Metropolitan Region,” an official said, adding, “The estimate represents a reasonable proportion (around 25%) of the population benefiting through improved connectivity, reduced travel time, and enhanced transport efficiency.“The protests over the road highlights the gap between environmental assessments on paper and community experiences. For instance, although Versova residents say several heritage trees in the Nana Nani park will be cut for the project, the BMC claims otherwise. “A detailed tree inventory was undertaken assessing parameters such as girth, species, and ecological significance. Based on Maharashtra Tree Authority norms, no trees within the project area qualify as heritage trees, as they do not meet the criteria of age, size, rarity, or cultural significance,” said an official. Similarly, while the diversion of 103 hectares of mangrove land will affect many species of birds, small mammals, and insects that make their home there, officials said the project area does not fall within any notified protected area, making wildlife clearances unnecessary. “The nearest protected areas—Sanjay Gandhi National Park (around 4 km away) and Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (around 15 km away)—are at sufficient distance,” an official said. Most of the affected mangroves are categorised as protected or reserved forest. Authorities have also said that almost 37,000 of the 45,000 mangrove trees to be cut will be eventually restored after road work is complete. A 308 crore restoration plan has been given to Mangrove and Marine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation of Maharashtra (Mangrove Foundation), and will include plantation, habitat restoration, biodiversity conservation, shoreline monitoring, and use of advanced technologies for ecological management. Mangrove plantation is challenging, however, and success rates often low. Asked if BMC had successfully restored or planted any significant patch of mangrove, officials pointed to the 1998 mangrove replantation project for the World Bank-aided Ghatkopar & Bhandup Aerated Lagoons projects. That plantation was carried out by Soonabai Phirojsha Godrej Foundation Trust at their Vikhroli land. Still, an official acknowledged that “this project represents restoration at an unprecedented scale.“
