Residents highlight environmental concerns
The majority of residents HT spoke with maintained they never made such demand in the first place. “There are not even 150 fishing boats left here anymore. This project will only damage our small beach further,” said Prakash Chimbaikar, whose family has been fishing at Chimbai for at least three generations. “Because of the jetty expansion and blasting of rocks to make way for the boatyard, the water is already coming further into the village during high tide. The boatyard is being built over rocks that halt water from reaching our homes. Even the jetty expansion has been done in a way which does not allow water to flow back out as quickly during low tide,” he added.
In a petition filed earlier this year before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by Chimbai resident Maria Thelma against MCZMA, it has been noted that the scale of proposed amenities are “entirely disproportionate to the needs of the local community”, and are best “avoided at all costs due to the fragility of the geomorphic features of the intertidal rocky areas and mangroves in the region”.
Speaking to HT, Thelma also said construction material was being stored in a common area that was earlier used for net mending and fish drying. “Ever since the work began, we are not able to use the area for drying fish. The contractor has made sheds there for his staff and parks his machinery on site. Who has allowed our common areas to be taken over?” she said.