Mumbai’s environmental activists are gearing up in large numbers to protest the planned removal of 9,000 mangroves as part of the proposed Versova-Bhayandar Coastal Road extension. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to hold a public hearing on Friday at 2:30 pm at its Development Plan department, where citizens will have the opportunity to voice their concerns about the environmental impact of the project.
The coastal road extension, which aims to connect Versova with Bhayandar, is expected to affect approximately 60,000 mangroves, including the cutting down of 9,000 trees. This has sparked significant opposition from environmentalists and green activists, including members of the Mumbai chapter of the Fridays For Future initiative. These groups plan to express their strong disapproval during the public hearing.
Ahead of the meeting, activists have been preparing posters and banners to highlight the ecological damage the project could cause, particularly the loss of vital mangrove ecosystems that protect the city from flooding and coastal erosion. Reading Room India, a popular online community of over 95,000 members, has urged Mumbaikars to attend the hearing in solidarity to help save the mangroves. The group encouraged participants to bring printed newspaper clippings and gather friends, colleagues, and supporters to the event.
An Instagram post by Reading Room India emphasised the importance of preserving the local mangroves: “Mangroves scheduled to be cut will be replanted 800 km away near Tadoba in Chandrapur district. Mangroves there cannot protect Mumbai from monsoon flooding. This could be our last chance to save these critical ecosystems.”
Yash Aggarwal, an environmental activist associated with Fridays For Future Mumbai, stated, “Although I do not live near the coastal road’s projected path, I will attend the public hearing to share my concerns about the potential destruction caused by cutting down mangroves.”
The upcoming hearing is seen as a critical juncture for the project and the future of Mumbai’s coastal environment.
Source: The Free Press Journal
