On Wednesday, February 3, the Bombay High Court disposed of a petition which had sought unrestricted access to the Lotus jetty at Haji Ali which local fisherfolk perceived would be restricted as a result of the ongoing coastal road work.
According to an article in Hindustan Times, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has informed the court that it was building a navigation bridge for the benefit of the fisherfolk at the spot in order for them to access to the jetty at Haji Ali.
In view of the situation, the court took cognizance of the circumstances and allowed the fishermen to approach the evaluation committee set up by the BMC in a bid to settle their claim for damages to their fishing boats.
Moreover, a division bench of justices RD Dhanuka and VG Bisht, while hearing the petition filed by 10 fishermen was informed by advocate Meenaz Kakalia that the petition was not opposing the coastal road work being conducted by the civic body or reclamation of land for the same. However, it sought unrestricted access to the jetty, which they apprehended would be obstructed by the development work.
Meanwhile, in view of the massive financial crisis due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, the BMC asserted to have spent only 48 per cent of its budget allocated in 2020-21 fiscal year on various development projects, however, several big-ticket projects such as waste to energy plant at Deonar, the Tansa cycling tracks, Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project (MSDP), Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) are developing at snail's pace.
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