Shiv Sena joins Opposition against widening of Siri Road

In yet another embarrassment for the BJP, its ally Shiv Sena joined hands with the Opposition parties to defeat the proposed road-widening project at Malabar Hill on Tuesday. The proposal has become a prestige issue for the BJP, as the chief minister and a party MLA have reportedly shown an interest in its approval.

The fate of the proposal was sealed in the civic improvements committee meeting by a margin of

15-1 votes with Sena and Opposition parties voting against it, whereas there was only one vote in its favour, that too of committee chairman Prakash Gangadhare of the BJP.

The BMC has proposed widening of a pedestrian walkway known as Siri Road into a motorable road by chopping down 72 trees in Kamala Nehru park. Peeved with this, local residents are up in arms against the BMC as they have strongly demanded scrapping of the project.

According to the civic officials, the Chiranjilal Loyalka Marg, also known as Siri Road, is a walkway connects the BG Kher Marg to the Tambe Chowk at Malabar Hill. The 535-metre road, partly made up of asphalt and paver blocks, then connects to the park area through steep steps and sharp turns. The road has been in use since 40 years and was early used for plying of vehicles, said civic officials.

However, corporators have alleged that the proposal is only for the benefit of few people and a particular builder, whose construction is coming up in the Malabar Hill area. Congress corporator Mohsin Haidar said, “At a time when the BMC is developing gardens in the city, it is an absurd proposal as it will shrink the Kamala Nehru Park. The local residents have also vehemently opposed the project.”

“The widened road will add to more traffic in the Malabar Hill area where there is always VIP movement,” said Shiv Sena corporator Sampat Thakur.

It will also increase air pollution in the area, he added. Samajwadi Party corporator Ashraf Azmi said that the IIT had warned the civic body a few years ago that cutting down the trees would cause damage to Malabar Hill as it is made up of soft rock. Despite this the proposal is being pushed through, he said.

However, Mr Gangadhare claimed that the new road will benefit motorists, who have to take a detour to reach Malabar Hill. The area witnesses a lot of traffic jams. The road will solve many problems, he said. But the proposal was turned down.