MSRDC to move in at Juhu Koliwada for its casting yard

WITH THE Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) likely to be allocated a plot at Juhu Koliawada, where Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) was earlier constructing a casting yard for the Metro 2B corridor, the latter has stopped its construction work. While the MSRDC will use the land for a casting yard for its Bandra-Versova Sea Link Project, MMRDA proposes to move to Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). In the past several residents and activists had raised objection to the construction of a casting yard for the upcoming Metro on the beach.

“We will be having our casting yard for the Metro 2B in BKC and the land will be given to MSRDC for the Sea Link. They also need a land for their casting yard and they need it to be near the sea,” said Pravin Darade, Additional Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA. The MMRDA casting yard is being constructed by the contractor, Simplex Infrastructure. Activists had earlier alleged that mangroves on the 11-acres land near the Sunil Dutt Park in Juhu Koliwada had been destroyed for the casting yard. Residents and activists had urged the government to shift the location of the yard.

Nitin Killawalla, a resident of Juhu, who has been actively demanding the government to construct the Metro 2B underground, said, “We have written to different government agencies seeking that the Metro be constructed underground. The casting yard in Juhu would further aggravate the issue as there would be movement of heavy vehicles through the narrow lanes of Juhu greatly inconveniencing the residents. Now, with the land being used for the BVSL the issue remains the same as a casting yard in the area will contribute to the pollution and traffic congestion here. The casting yard could be constructed anywhere else.”

During last month’s meeting of the District Coastal Zone Management Committee (DCZMA) the mangrove destruction was discussed and the Mumbai collector sought an investigation in the matter. The complaint was written to the DCZMA by Hansel D’Souza, an activist from the NGO Juhu Citizens Welfare Group. “The area has been marked in the DP with mangroves and that has been destroyed. The Metro is important for the city but we cannot keep on destroying the city. This was the worst place to put the casting yard as a portion of it is on the beach and barely a few metres away from the high tide,” he said.