Mumbai: While the increase in the height of Indian constitution’s chief architect Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s memo-rial proposed at Indu Mills, Dadar has been approved by the Airport Authority of India, environmentalists have raised concerns over the project’s feasibility as the memorial falls under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)-1.
According to officials, 40 per cent of the memorial land falls under the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) and the map would allow authorities to demarcate the areas, which are under CRZ. Many realty projects too are waiting for the map.
The issue of the Ambedkar memorial falling under CRZ would be tabled at the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority’s (MCZMA) agenda on Tuesday.
Debi Goenka, a Mumbai based environmentalist has also written to the MCZMA, highlighting the ongoing erosion at the Dadar beach, in the vicinity of which the memorial has been proposed. “Two years ago, there was severe erosion of Dadar beach, in fact it is happening till now as per the records. The memorial will not be able to stand in such condition.”
Recently, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the Centre would give its nod to the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) soon.
It was only last week when the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF) approved the CZMP for Mumbai district. Officials from Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had stated that the plot size for the memorial is 198 metres. Of this, 100 metre falls under CRZ. We are carrying out work in the remaining CRZ area.”
“Any construction which comes up in the CRZ area is dangerous because if there is erosion then the structure is bound to collapse. Surface can’t borne height of a 350 ft. statue if it is constructed. Not now, but maybe after 50 years it has chances of collapsing,” said Stalin Dayanand, founder of NGO Vanashakti.
