End of Madh, Marve ferry tale nears: Bids for bridges floated

With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) floating bids for construction of bridges connecting Madh island with Versova and Marve with Manori island, the last two surviving intra-city ferry operations on the west coast may shut down. Reason: Operators fear their business may become unviable.

Mumbai has several intercity ferry services connecting Gateway of India to Alibaug, Rewas, Belapur, Elephanta island on the east coast. The west coast has intracity ferries on routes such as Madh island-Versova, Marve Beach to Manori, Marve beach to Essel World and Borivli to Gorai. Madh and Manori have been favourite weekend spots for Mumbaiites. Madh island has a number of bungalows that are weekend party destinations, while the quiet Manori beach is preferred by Mumbaiites for a relaxed weekend.

These routes were made operational more than six decades ago and majorly used by local population, fishermen and tourists visiting Gorai and Manori. Earlier, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) operated the services, but they were later given to contractors. Some ferries are now run by cooperative bodies of fisherfolk, who are losing their livelihood in fishing.

The BMC has proposed the bridges saying those travelling to Malad railway station or towards south Mumbai from Madh or Manori have to travel at least 40 minutes to reach the station or to get onto the western express highway. The deadline to submit bids is January 2020. Once the contractor is finalized, the work is expected to be completed in four years.

“In July 2019, mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar wrote to us, citing demands of locals from new buildings around Marve and Madh island. Once these bridges are built, traffic congestion at Dahisar check naka will also come down, as many towards the west can take the Marve-Manori bridge to go towards Virar and further via Uttan Road,” said an official from bridges department of BMC said.

Ferry operators fear once the bridges are built, people will opt for road, instead of waterway. They allege local builders are behind lobbying for the bridges, with an aim to bring real estate boom in the area around picturesque Madh Island and Marve-Manori.

Gajanand Tippe of Vesava Machimaar Sahakari Society said: “We are operating on this route for decades now, and have 11 years of contract pending. With the bridges coming up, our business will almost shut down. We currently operate on a fleet of five ferries between Madh and Versova carrying thousands of passengers through 200 services at a cost of ₹5 for one-way commute.”

Another ferry operator Ajay Dhonde said, “Waterways is the cheapest and least polluting mode of transport, and bridges will only bring more pollution and urbanisation here.”

Sunil Koli, a local fisherman, said, “We feel development and our business both should be balanced. We do not want to sound anti-development, but we should be compensated fully before going ahead with development work.”

Virendra Chaudhary, a local corporator, said, “The construction should not be opposed as it is locals’ demand versus concerns of ferry operators. The bridges will benefit thousands of residents and will also bring down travel time.”

Fishermen say the noise from the construction work and later from the traffic movement will affect marine life. Dr Vinay Deshmukh, former principal scientist at Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), said, “The issues of fishing and fishermen need to be looked into, but they need to be solved amicably. I don’t feel it will have a long-term impact on fishing. However, there might be presence of corals there which might have to be studied and avoided. There are chances of a slight change in pattern of waves. Water transport is always more ideal for conservation of marine biodiversity rather than a road bridge on water.”

Prem Soneji, a Malad resident, said, “We are going to get a coastal road which will improve connectivity to south Mumbai. So what is the need for these bridges? We need to ensure these tourist spots don’t become traffic bottlenecks in the name of connectivity.”

Viraj Mamania, a Borivli resident, said: “Manori beach is a famous tourist spot, and it should be preserved.”

First Published: Aug 19, 2019 00:23 IST