Chimbai jetty to be inspected after outcry from fisherfolk
Chimbai Macchimar Koliwada community members says they have been living here for over 100 years and have no space left for fish harvesting
The office of tehsildar from the Mumbai Collectorate’s office in Andheri is set to make an inspection visit at Chimbai beach on September 1. Environmentalists and members of the local fishing community have raised objections to the ongoing construction of a jetty at the beach.
The Rs 8.5 crore project involves expansion of the existing jetty and construction of two new boat yards with elevated ramps. It was proposed during the Devendra Fadnavis-led government and also entails construction of a shed for fish net weaving. The construction had started in 2019, following which members of the local fishing community protested.
In January 2021, activist Zoru Bhathena wrote to the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) alleging that the ongoing work is being undertaken illegally and the body’s recommendations are misleading. Bhathena said that around 190 metres of the entire 300-metre beach will be affected by the project.
In his complaint letter,
Bhathena said, “The contractor has started flattening the rocks in the intertidal area and has built a foundation for a wall.” He had said that the boat yards are seemingly being constructed by reclaiming the sea, further questioning how MCZMA permitted reclamation of 4,500-square-metre of intertidal area at the beach.
The tehsildar’s office responded on August 26 by sending a letter to the local BMC ward office and the forest department to arrange a spot visit and inspect the current situation.
Bhathena told the Free Press Journal, “I had complained to the MCZMA and it seems they had forwarded it to the tehsildar’s office. I am surprised what role they have to play in this. Yet we hope that a site visit will help
“According to the 2019 guidelines, land reclamation was permitted in CRZ 1B, owing to which construction has been initiated. While some are opposing the project, there are many who are supporting it.
–MCZMA official
them in witnessing the ground reality of the project.”
Full report on www.freepressjournal.in