To quell opposition from the fishing community to its proposal of a 300-acre Central Park’ on reclaimed land off Cuffe Parade, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has offered to build a channel running through the park, for fishermen to park their boats and access the sea. Rejecting the municipality’s idea, however, the fisherfolk of Cuffe Parade have contended that reclamation on such a large scale would destroy their livelihood. Opposing any reclamation of land off Cuffe Parade, president of the Akhil Maharashtra Machimar Kriti Samiti Damodar Tandel said he intended to file a case with the National Green Tribunal against the project. Resentment has been growing in the fishing community in the city against various projects planned along the coastline. The idea of a 300-acre park in south Mumbai was mooted by the BMC and has been included in the draft Development Plan 2034 that was recently approved by the general body of elected members of the BMC. Anticipating a backlash from the fishermen, the BMC devised a solution to create a channel through the park. We have no intentions of harming the fishermen’s livelihood or disrupting their lives. We will give them a channel that they can use to park their boats and can have access to the sea whenever they need to head out. The consultant who will be hired for the project after the DP 2034 is approved will design the channel along with the rest of the park, said a senior civic official. The official added that the idea of the channel has been approved by Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta. Tandel, however, said the community would not support the idea of the park under any circumstances. If the land has been demarcated for the fishermen community, how can the BMC plan a park in that area? We have about 400 boats and the channel will not have enough space for us to park the boats as well as use it as a channel. There are 20,000 people living in 2,000 huts and this park will take away everything we have. We will not allow reclamation of the sea under any circumstances, he said. Tandel added the Central Park project has also attracted criticism from the residents of south Mumbai including Nariman Point and Marine Drive. We have had discussions with residents’ associations who feel that the park will only add to traffic congestion. They are willing to support our fight against the BMC, he said. The fishermen’s association has similarly opposed other projects including the proposed Shivaji Memorial in the Arabian Sea and the BMC’s Coastal Road project. While the DP 2034 was pending with the state government, the BMC has decided to appoint two consultants for the Central Park project. We will float tenders shortly for about Rs 24 lakh to appoint a consultant who will conduct the land and marine survey of the entire 300 acres. The survey will include portions of the sea which will eventually be reclaimed and CTS numbers will be assigned after which we will acquire the area from the collector. We will also apply for permission from 17 different agencies including the environment ministry, defence ministry, fisheries department and others, said Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner of A ward. After the DP 2034 will be approved, a second consultant will be appointed, who will finalise the design of the Central Park.