Mumbai: Not so smooth sailing for jetty at Colaba

Milind Deora Rajya Sabha member has written in to the Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with reference to concerns of locals about a jetty coming up at Colaba between the Gateway of India and Radio Club The jetty issue has been simmering in the south Mumbai pocket with protest movements gathering traction recently and numerous associations groups joining in to oppose the projectmdashusing both online and offline space to do soThe letterDeorarsquos letter addressed to Shinde dated April 8 begins with the subject line lsquoRequest for shifting the proposed jetty from Gateway of India to Ferry Wharf or Ballard Estatersquo Excerpts from the onepage communication said ldquoI am writing to bring your attention to a matter of concern raised by local stakeholders and citizens regarding the location of the newly proposed jetty between the Radio Club and Gateway of IndiardquoAnimated exchanges at the meet in a Colaba gardenThe second paragraph focused on the location specifically ldquoWhile the initiative to enhance water transport infrastructure is much appreciated and certainly aligned with the cityrsquos development needs the specific location currently under consideration may pose significant challenges The Gateway of India is already a highfootfall tourist destination and the addition of a new jetty in this immediate vicinity could lead to considerable congestion safety concerns and general inconvenience to both tourists and local residentsrdquoDeorarsquos letter cites ldquoconstant crowd movement in that areardquo It adds that it would be worth considering ldquoalternative and more suitable locations such as Ferry Wharf Bhaucha Dhakka or Ballard Estate both of which are better equipped to handle maritime activities and traffic with comparatively less disruption to the publicrdquo The communication ends with ldquoThis slight shift in planning would help in maintaining the sanctity and accessibility of the historic Gateway of India while also ensuring smooth and efficient operations of the new jettyrdquoDeora signed off with the confidence that under Shindersquos leadership ldquothe most balanced and practical decision will be taken in the interest of all stakeholdersrdquo Deora when asked about the letter stated ldquoThis letter was to apprise the deputy CM about challenges in the area and why there are huge concerns about the project I would like a meeting with citizens Shindeji myself and Nitesh Rane Maharashtra minister of ports developmentrdquoThe strategyLate on Sunday morning a group of Colaba residents met at a garden to discuss the roadmap for their lsquono to jettyrsquo protest There were a number of suggestionsobjections at the interactive meet with Colaba activist Subhash Motwani stating at the outset ldquoThis meeting is not about any political party It is of the residents by the residents and for the residentsrdquo This was important and drew cheers There are accusations that the protest movement and sentiment against the jetty is being whipped up by politically motivated persons There were suggestions like putting up banners in highvisibility places in Colaba citing stop jetty work Locals said car stickers may work too Peaceful protests just within housing society boundaries were discussed Though the locals did touch upon the other hotbutton topic of illegal hawkers in Colaba some residents claimed it would be wiser to keep the spotlight on the no jetty movementAdvocate Sunil Panday at the meeting which saw some animated exchanges stated ldquoSpeaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Rahul Narwekar who is a Colaba MLA must use his veto power to stop the projectrdquo Advocate Prerak Choudhary said ldquoA writ petition is to be filed but certain documents are awaitedrdquo He said in a lighter vein ldquoLike in Indian Premier League IPL cricket so in the courtroomhellip timing and placement are everythingrdquo Colabarsquos Indian Protest League IPL over to youatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params