With the Shiv Sena and the Congress expressing their opposition, the fate of a proposed road-widening project at Malabar Hill looks uncertain.
With the Shiv Sena and the Congress expressing their opposition, the fate of a proposed road-widening project at Malabar Hill looks uncertain. The proposal has become a prestige issue for the BJP, as the chief minister and a party MLA have reportedly shown an interest in its approval.
On this backdrop, the civic improvements committee meeting, in which the proposal will be tabled for approval, to be held on Tuesday is expected to be stormy. With an aim to corner its ally BJP on this issue, the ruling Shiv Sena has decided to oppose the proposal.
As a part of the project, the BMC has proposed a pedestrian walkway known as Siri Road into a motorable road by chopping down 72 trees in the Kamala Nehru Park. Peeved with this, local residents are up in arms against the BMC as they have strongly demanded scrapping of the project. It will destroy a beloved garden as well as the natural ecology of the Malabar Hill along with loosening its rock formation, they have said.
According to the civic officials, the Chiranjilal Loyalka Marg, also known as Siri Road, is a walkway connects the BG Kher Marg to the Tambe Chowk at Malabar Hill. The 535-mroad, partly made up of asphalt and paver blocks, then connects to the park area through steep steps and sharp turns. The road has been in use since 4-10 years and was early used for plying of vehicles, said civic officials.
However, Sena has alleged that the road will be widened for the benefit of new constructions belonging to the BJP MLA. During a visit of improvements committee members to the site few days back, Sena corporator and leaders had staged demonstrations to protest the proposal. There were also heated exchanges between Sena and BJP leaders on the occasion.
The Congress has also slammed the move with the former MP Milind Deora terming BMC’s decision to discuss the proposal in the improvements committee as ‘hasty.’ Saying that the project would encroach on the Kamala Nehru Park, he has asked the civic body to consult with the traffic department before proceeding with the project.
