19 July,2011 07:23 AM IST | | Hemal Ashar
Peddar Road public hearing degenerates into chaos
All hell broke loose at a public hearing called by the Maharashtra State Pollution Control Board to discuss environmental aspects of the Peddar Road Viaduct or Peddar Road Flyover as it is better known as. Residents present at the meeting to discuss the environmental aspects of the Peddar Road flyover get agitated and begin to protest. Some residents start chanting 'We want the bridge'. Dr Kulkarni, who was in-charge of the presentation had to abort it after protests refused to die down
The meeting was held yesterday at the Institute of Engineers Hall, opposite the Willingdon Club gate at Haji Ali behind Lala Lajpatrai College.
The hall was packed to capacity by 3 pm, which was the scheduled starting time.
The presentation began with the State Board officials and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) representatives giving a brief introduction and then went on to a slide show, detailing the Peddar Road flyover.
Dr Umesh Kulkarni, from the Fine Envirotech Engineers (FEE) firm, started the presentation.
The tension was building up at the hearing. Residents watched with obvious distrust and cynicism as the slide show began even as officials repeatedly told residents to voice their concerns after the show.
At that, a young man shouted, "Why should we wait? This is a hearing, not a presentation, who are you to decide?
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Why should we do what you tell us?" When a slide showing the distance of the flyover from buildings showed up residents shouted, "Which buildings are going to be affected? Name the buildings or stop this presentation."
Goons in the hall?
Even as officials were trying to restore calm, a group of people shouted in unison, "We want bridge, we want bridge".
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The shouting got louder from the middle of the hall, "bridge paije, bridge paije", and they got up and raised their fists in the air.
At the disruption, irate residents rushed to the dais and blamed the speakers saying, "Who are these people? They are your goons. Goondas. Get them out of here."
The sloganeering set tried to push their way to the front. "We are from Worli," said one man with a huge tilak on his forehead.
By now, the police had come in, but the Peddar Road Residents Association said, "Shamefully, the 8-10 policemen in the hall remained as smiling spectators. Either they found the show amusing, or they were probably in on it as well."
Flaring tempers
The stage cleared out as it was now evident that the meeting could not go on and the battle lines were drawn.
It was a war between the residents and the "rowdies" as the residents dubbed them. The residents started leaving in anger and disgust.
Journalist-politician Pritish Nandy said, "this is shameful". An irate Dr Altaf Patel of Woodlands building on Peddar Road said, "These are our bloody taxes, it is high time somebody becomes accountable."
Dr Shyam Nichani who was simmering with rage said, "These protestors have come in two hired buses to create a nuisance."
At one stage tempers were so frayed that the meeting threatened to degenerate into fisticuffs, a resident even banged hard on the table on the dais shouting, "You are making a fool of us. We have a right to be heard."
Hired slogans
The fury boiled over as residents dubbed the sloganeering group as, "Goons and organised goondaism. Ask them who they are, they have been paid to come here," they said.
Hari Ahuja from Peddar Rd, echoed the common sentiment when he said, "they are hired."
Meanwhile, these people in turn screamed at this reporter, blaming residents, when asked about the disruption, "These people (residents) have stalled the flyover for 10 years.
Why was there no objection to 55 other flyovers in the city? Why is there a public hearing only for this flyover?" they hollered.u00a0 Finally, the hall emptied, with the meeting called off with no discussion or hearing.
One of the slogan-shouting women who was with the group rooting for the bridge told this reporter outside the hall, "I was called a paid prostitute by these residents."
Other women asked her to hush up, and then all of them dispersed to drink "chaha" (tea) as they said.
Shameful event
Atul Bhobe, the designer of the Peddar Road flyover, was standing outside the hall.
He said, "This is crazy. This has become a fight between the have and the have-nots. It is not in my personal interest to build a flyover.
I am not building my bungalow there. This is a democracy and if the majority wants a flyover then we can have it. We need a meeting for a solution but not one like this."
Dr Umesh Kulkarni, who was forced to abort the slide show said, "The public hearing will also happen and the flyover will also happen." Yet, if the Peddar Rd residents have their way, Kulkarni's words will not come true.
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They said, "Shame on the police and shame on MSRDC, because no one can believe that they weren't part of the arrangement.
They know very well that our arguments against the flyover are very strong, and are determined to ram it down our throats, but we are equally determined not to let that happen because it's not the right solution."
