The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has assured the Bombay High Court (HC) that it will not stop fishermen from using the Lotus jetty during the ongoing Coastal Road project. This statement was made in response to a complaint filed by nine local fishermen from Worli.
The fishermen had accused the civic body of asking them to leave a large part of their boat parking space for the project without providing an alternative location. They sought court orders to prevent BMC officers from blocking boat parking at the jetty. They also wanted the civic body to provide an alternative parking area.
In its affidavit, the BMC stated that during monsoon and fishing seasons, boats have been kept on the beach north of Lotus Jetty. It also addressed allegations about three fishing trawlers being forcibly removed from the jetty.
The civic body claimed that these boats were brought in in 2020 and were allowed to be parked temporarily on reclaimed land south of the jetty for repairs. However, they were never repaired or made seaworthy by the petitioners.
When this land was needed for construction work in August 2023, the petitioners were asked to move their boats closer to Lotus Jetty. After they refused, the boats were moved by the BMC.
The division bench of justices Gautam Patel and Kamal Khata sided with the BMC. It said that the reclaimed land was never intended for the indefinite parking of fishing vessels. The court dismissed the petitioners' request to halt work at the disputed area until an alternative parking location was provided.
However, the court did allow the fishermen to seek compensation from the BMC for lost fishing opportunities and alternative parking for their trawlers.
Share
Tweet
