Mumbai, Jul 20 (IANS): The Shiv Sena-UBT on Friday called upon the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to hold a global competition for ideas/suggestions on the optimum utilization of the greenspaces created adjacent to the Mumbai Coastal Road project.
In a letter to BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, SS-UBT MLA and former Minister Aaditya Thackeray said that with the involvement of global experts or think tanks, it could be best decided how to landscape the non-transport green infrastructure of the MCR keeping in mind climate action and nature-based solutions.
He pointed out that the MCR – which has become partially operational – was intended to be a world-class road with pathways, cycling tracks, and large open spaces to positively impact climate action with measures for climate adaptation, mitigation, and resilience.
Thackeray Jr. further urged Gagrani to ensure the involvement of the local elected peoples’ representatives including the Members of Parliament and Members of the Legislative Assembly, local ALMs (advanced locality managements) and other groups, seeking their views on how best to plan and utilize these huge open spaces alongside the MCR.
He added that the global competition was planned originally when the MCR project was started by the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Thackeray further insisted that the entire work on MCR should be funded through the BMC’s funds reserved and allocated for it as it’s a ‘city project’, and expressed hopes that the citizens would have a say in utilising the open spaces rather than some contractors.
A pet project of the SS-UBT President and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, work on the toll-free MCR started in 2020 and now the first phase has been completed in south Mumbai, including the twin tunnels. A BMC statement had earlier indicated that of the total 111 hectares required for the first phase, 97 per cent (107 hectares) of land was reclaimed from the Arabian Sea. Of the reclaimed tracts, 70 hectares will be utilised for various attractions like a biodiversity park, a butterfly garden, landscaping, recreational facilities, cycle tracks, open-air theatres, public amenities and underground parking for over 1,800 vehicles.