Mumbai: The coastal road will not solve the city's traffic woes but add to the congestion, warn activists.
Transport expert Ashok Datar said that despite the numerous flyovers, the BandraWorli Sea Link and the Eastern Freeway , traffic congestion continues to be a reality in the city. “All these infrastructure projects have only encouraged private transport at the cost of public transport,“ he said.
He said the government, instead of rushing through with the coastal road project, should instead concentrate on introducing the Bus Rapid Transit System on the West ern Express Highway and air-conditioned coaches on the Western Railway .
“Unless the traffic on existing roads is better managed by imposing traffic discipline and proper parking norms, the coastal road will only add to the congestion,“ he said.“The world over, there is a conscious effort to move towards public transport whereas here the share of public transport is declining.“
Activist and architect P K Das, who was a member of the technical committee that prepared the report for the coastal road and which was approved by the state government, said the detailed project report did not reflect the original plan.
“Changes have been suggested without government approval,“ he said. “The undersea tunnels, I fear, will erode the sand on the Juhu beach and cause inundation.“
Two months ago the NGO Save Open Spaces had filed a query under the RTI Act on various studies carried out before proposing the changes. So far there has been no response from the BMC.
“The technical committee plan for the coastal road included the existing road network,“ he said. “We want to know who is responsible for such arbitrary decisions and can such a mega project be guided by such decisions.“
Environmentalist Rishi Agarwal, criticising the MoU signed recently by CM Devendra Fadnavis with the Netherlands government, said both the Centre and state were intent on supporting Dutch business rather than looking at other transport interventions. “The coastal road will not provide any respite and will harm the coast and coastal communities,“ he said.
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