The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has asked a group of fishermen to give up a sizable portion of their boat parking space at Lotus Jetty in Worli for the Coastal Road project. However, the latter has not been offered any alternative land to moor their vessels, due to which the fishworkers—registered as Vanchit Machhimar Haji Ali Sahkari Sangathana Maryadit (VMHASSM)—have so far defied the BMC’s request.
Ever since construction of the road began, fishers maintain that increasing amounts of common use land in and around Haji Ali, which would serve to dry dock boats, sort fish and mend nets, has been reclaimed by the gargantuan infrastructure project, leaving them with only a small portion of land to carry out their ancillary activities.
In a letter to various authorities on August 18, appealing against the BMC’s request, the fishers said that earlier, there was ample space from Haji Ali to Lotus Jetty (Haji Ali Bay) to conduct their fishing activities. “Now, the massive reclamation by the Coastal Road Project has acquired most of our operational area with no space left for us to park our fishing vessels for maintenance work with other ancillary work like mending fishing nets etc,” the letter read.
Over the last week, the civic body issued two letters to the VMHASSM, reiterating the demand. On August 19, Hrushikesh Patil, executive engineer, CRP, wrote, “As the Coastal Road is an important public project, the progress of the said project is being reviewed at a higher level from time to time…The boats brought for repairs on the embankment near Lotus Jetty are obstructing the work of the project.”
Another official from the BMC’s coastal road department said, “We have asked them to move only three boats. The area is reclaimed land where we allowed them to park boats temporarily. The fishers say they want a proper jetty, but that does not come under our scope. We are creating an 80-metre curved sea wall and they will be able to anchor their boats. It is not in our jurisdiction to create any additional facilities. They need to take up the matter with either the fisheries department, Maharashtra Maritime Board, or other competent authority.”
The official also said that on Monday or Tuesday, they will use other means to remove the boats if the fishermen do not agree to their request.
When Hindustan Times visited the site on Sunday afternoon, however, it was found that at least a dozen boats of varying sizes were parked at the site.
Sanjay Baikar, a resident of Worli Koliwada and VMHASSM chairman, said, “We have been threatened by the contractors saying they will throw our boats into the sea if we do not move them. This is harassment. We are a registered fisher cooperative society, and we require an area to conduct our business. We have not received a single rupee of compensation for the losses we have suffered due to the Coastal Road.