The much awaited coastal road plan is a boon. Centre’s nod came at an appropriate time and the CM can plunge into action in this direction. It is indeed a dream come true project for the Mumbaikars. Though it is not a new idea, the coastal freeway has received an impetus under the present government in the state of Maharashtra, which feels that the freeway road is desperately needed to improve movement of Mumbai’s traffic. This thinking echoes the recommendations of a technical committee set up by the government whose report was submitted in 2011. It is indeed a gift for the Mumbaikars.
The coastal road is proposed to be a freeway along Mumbai’s coastline, from south Mumbai’s Nariman Point to the far western suburb of Kandivali. The 35.6-km link is expected to provide relief to lakhs of commuters who currently take up to three hours to travel the distance in peak-hour traffic. The project is expected to free up the city’s highly-congested roads connecting its western suburbs. The freeway will complement the 17-km Eastern Freeway, which connects south Mumbai to the eastern suburbs. The coastal road also seeks to create large patches of open green space, rare in Mumbai. The government has promised to create marinas and promenades, and provide pedestrians access to the green patches to walk or cycle. Planning and development are part and parcel of city developmental plans and the government should work on this in a phased manner and not proceed in a hasty manner.
Further, the comparison of Mumbai with other cities is not an appropriate one. Look at our city’s population and that of Singapore and see the amount of open spaces available here. The fishermen are just doing their job and not selfish. The coast is equally theirs and the and the need of the hour is for the reclamation of Mahim Bay and during a seminar on the coastal road project we all realised that if we reclaim more area during its construction we may end losing up more beaches.
The impressive move to have Coastal road has come at a right time when road users face tough time in the busy streets of the metropolis. Sooner or later we wish to have a free ride and coastal road has come handy to solve this peculiar problem. The initiative made by the Government is a step in the right direction and needs to be complimented. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis deserves all praise for his whole hearted efforts to make things move in a proper direction. Having faced traffic jam in focal points of the city, it is time to look for an alternative. The much expected plan will cost over Rs.12000 crores but the corridor from Nariman Point to Kandivili will get major boost with the Centre clearing the reclamation of land from the sea for this specific purpose.
It is notable that the Coastal Regulations Zone rules will remain in force for the reclaimed land but the coastal road will soon be a reality in the years to come. Why does this road have only eight lanes and with two lanes reserved for bus transit, it reduces the number of usable lanes to six and only three in each direction and that is not a wise one with increasing traffic in the city’s roads. Singapore has 10 lanes expressways and similar land area to Mumbai. At least try to make it appear that you plan for future traffic volume while constructing roads. Hope the number of lanes is increased to at least 10.
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