The Nakhawa and Sarvoday societies have opposed the project and also stalled the geo-technical survey near Worli Koliwada. The fishing community in Worli Koliwada, which is opposing the coastal road project, has alleged the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) obtained a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the project from a group that doesn’t represent the fishing community.
Worli Koliwada Nakhawa Matsya Vyavsay Sahkari Society president Harishchandra Nakhawa said, “In Worli Koliwada, there are only two fishing organisations that are recognised by the fisheries department — one is ours and the other is the Worli Machhimar Sarvoday Sahkari Society. The BMC was supposed to take suggestions and objections from our community but they approached the Worli Koliwada Owners Community Welfare Co-Operative Society of Worli village, which has nothing to do with fishing. But the coastal road department held a meeting with them.”
In December 2016, said Nakhawa, this particular society had written a letter to the coastal road department permitting it to go ahead with the project. “The BMC used that to go ahead with its plans. But on February 27, 2017, the fisheries department issued NOC for the project with the condition that suggestions and objections of the Nakhawa Society and Sarvoday Society be considered.”
The Nakhawa and Sarvoday societies have opposed the project and also stalled the geo-technical survey near Worli Koliwada. They are demanding that the gap between two pillars should be 200 metres instead of the proposed 200 feet. They have also opposed the reclamation work near Priyadarshani Park and sought a permanent mechanism for clearing construction site mud.