June 21, 2025: Dr Girish Salgaonkar, a fisher from Charkop, recalls a time when Kandivali had kitchen gardens and families cultivated vegetables. That traditional way of life, he says, has steadily eroded—first due to land reclamation and now through the large-scale destruction of mangroves. With the proposed extension of the Mumbai Coastal Road, that threat has resurfaced.
In March, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a public notice seeking to alter the land use classification of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas from Goregaon to Dahisar to accommodate Phase 2 of the coastal road project. Citizens were invited to submit feedback, and a public hearing was held on May 23 to address objections.
A BMC official from the Development Plan Department clarified that while the Development Plan 2034 (DP 2034) includes the coastal road up to Goregaon, any extension to Dahisar requires formal modification through public consultation. However, this expansion could involve the felling of up to 9,000 mangroves, according to some estimates—though officials from the Bridge Department have said the exact number is yet to be confirmed.
The contradiction is not lost on locals. While political rhetoric often invokes the “sons of the soil” narrative, the voices of Mumbai’s indigenous Koli community, particularly in Charkop, continue to be marginalised.
Mangroves, along with the sea and creeks, are vital to the Kolis’ fishing economy. The Manori Creek, a lifeline for the Charkop fishing community, could soon become harder to access due to construction barriers.
“The mangroves aren’t just trees—they are part of our livelihood,” says Dr Salgaonkar. “Losing them means losing a way of life.”
Source: Citizen Matters
