Prominent planners, environmentalists and academics decried the coastal road project on Tuesday. They claimed that the project would destroy the city in its current form and change its relationship with the sea.

A key criticism was that the project would only end up incentivising car ownership. Hussain Indorewala, co-convenor, Amchi Mumbai, Amchi BEST, highlighted how all road projects are essentially car-centric and change the look of the city. Noted architect Rahul Kadri said the problem needs to be redefined from traffic to transportation. He said that nearly 50% of city dwellers still walk to work. Professor Nikhil Anand from the University of Pennsylvania pointed out that 55 flyovers that were built in the city in 1995, but they are all in a sorry state today.

‘Wrong planning’

Mr. Indorewala said, “Transport planners of the city keep increasing the road length to reduce traffic density. Delhi has 2,000 cars for every square kilometre, Mumbai has 2,100 and you can’t increase keep the city area even if you start reclaiming land. The 70 hectares of reclaimed land is minuscule compared with the size of the city. You can’t build your way out of traffic congestion.”

Bittu Sahgal, noted environmental activist and founder of Sanctuary Asia, said the project was a ecological disaster in the making. He highlighted the havoc wreaked by the construction of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL), which narrowed the exit at the mouth of Mithi River. “Now, we’re going to be building a dam which is called the coastal road. I promise you if the city gets 960 mm of rainfall, that time 1,000 people died, this time it will be 15,000. Because there will be no place to go,” Mr. Sahgal said, alluding to the 2005 deluge.

Shweta Wagh, founder of Collective for Spatial Alternatives, said coastal road’s detailed project report mentions the the reclamation for BWSL was a key contributor to the 2005 floods.

Ms. Wagh said the project would affect the livelihoods of traditional fishing communities along the coast of the city and reclamation would destroy natural ecosystems along the coast. She said, “The Kolis in Worli are already experiencing it. They are saying the sea level has already gone up. They are dreading what will happen during the monsoon and fear that their homes will get flooded.” Ms. Wagh also pointed out that the issue should not be viewed solely as a south Mumbai issue as it will even affect the northern suburbs and central Mumbai.

Mr. Indorewala said promises of turning reclaimed land into open spaces may not be kept. Mr. Kadri said that a Right to Information plea had revealed that only 11 of the 70 hectares would be converted into open spaces. He said, “The loophole here is amenities. For a government, an amenity can mean a school or a college or even a theme park.”