Mumbai: In view of the wave of resistance from fishermen in the villages of Juhu Mora Gaon, Juhu Koliwada and Khar Danda to the proposed Versova-Bandra sea link (VBSL), the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has appointed a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Red Dot, to carry out a door-to-door survey. The aim is to determine the number of affected fishermen and understand their complaints.
According to an MSRDC official, “The NGO is expected to carry out the survey in the next three months and submit its report. Based on this report, compensation will be given to the project-affected people.”Once civil work starts, the common complaint of fishermen from Khar Danda is that they will have to take a longer route to the sea, which means more diesel will be consumed by their watercraft and they will have to be compensated accordingly.
Other grievances too will be addressed, the official assured. Fisherman Rajesh Mangela from Juhu-Koliwada said, to carry out the survey, the appointed NGO should have expertise. He wondered how an NGO, which specialises in handling sexual harassment cases could help their cause.
“We want the survey to be conducted taking fishermen’s associations into confidence. They are the ones who know our grievances properly. Instead of protecting our rights, the authorities seem to be coming up with such projects as these, endangering our livelihoods,” argued Mangela
According to the fishermen’s association, this project will take away livelihoods. In Juhu-Koliwada, the ‘core shore’ area, where fishermen carry out their ancillary activities (drying fish, spreading nets for repair and drying, conducting cultural events) has been earmarked as the casting yard for the proposed sea link project. Besides this, the yard will also completely block the access of fishermen to the sea.
Researcher Shweta Wagh (working with a collective for spatial alternatives), who is assisting the fishermen for the past several years, has alleged the proposed sea link will affect their livelihoods. Accordingly, the community has moved the National Green Tribunal and the Bombay High Court.
Moreover, an environmentalist has also challenged the HC order permitting mangrove-cutting in the Supreme Court. The 10km-long VBSL will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 7,000 crore. The proposed toll bridge is expected to cut travel time between Bandra and Versova to 10 minutes from the current 90 minutes and is scheduled to be ready by 2023.
