State stays coast body bid to name Mahim a bay





The state government has stayed the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority's (MCZMA) controversial decision to declare Mahim shore as a bay and the clearing of building proposals near the coast, including a prime 5.5-acre Prabhadevi plot.

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan put the brakes following a July 4 TOI expose on how the authority cleared builder Hubtown's Hindustan Mill plot at Prabhadevi for development by removing it from the coastal regulation zone (CRZ). The state urban development department headed by Chavan and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation both strongly objec

ted to the MCZMA's "unilateral" decision.

"MCZMA's unilateral decision to redefine parts of Mumbai's coastline as a bay would have serious implications for the city's town planning. It was a reckless decision," said a senior government official.

The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority's (MCZMA) "unilateral" decision to declare Mahim a bay has been put on hold by the state government.

A government official said the urban development department will have to be consulted and its view sought on the issue. "Till then, all decisions have been put on hold, and MCZMA will not be allowed to clear any such proposal."

The "Mahim bay" was a windfall for builders, whose plots are located near the coast and whose development potential was restricted because of CRZ norms which severely restrict construction activity 500 m from the high tide line.

However, a 2011 amendment to the CRZ rule allowed the distance to be reduced to just 100 m for areas declared as "bay". Once MCZMA declared Mahim as a bay , Hubtown submitted a proposal to get its plot removed from the CRZ. Several more builders with plots similarly located were ready with their proposals for environmental clearance from the MCZMA. All these have now been put on hold, it is learnt.

Hubtown's proposal was cleared by the MCZMA in its meeting in May end. But last week, urban development department secretary Manu Kumar Srivastava and civic chief Sitaram Kunte forced the authority to back off following instructions from CM Chavan.
Incidentally , state environment secretary R A Rajeev , who heads the authority , was one of the several bureaucrats transferred on Wednesday .

Sources said the two bureaucrats told MCZMA officials last week that the authority could not "unilaterally" decide on an issue which could have widespread ramifications for Mumbai's town-planning. Both Kunte and Srivastava are members of the MCZMA, and the decision to declare Mahim as a bay was taken in their absence, said sources. After the two officers protested, MCZMA redrafted its minutes of the meeting, which now showed that the Hubtown proposal is "placed for deliberation and further appropriate decision in the matter."

Government officials said several other building proposals falling under CRZ will now be sent to the Chennai-based Institute of Remote Sensing for clarification. Environmentalists and activists had expressed concern about the Mahim bay definition. They said other parts of the city like Marine Drive, Cuffe Parade, Churchgate and parts of Malad too could then be redefined as bays to help builders. TIMES VIEW: It's for experts to decide whether the sea off Mahim can be called a bay or not after taking into account its overall ramifications on the city's development and environment. But the flip-flop on the issue indicates the government is not working as a team. One wing taking a decision and two other agencies staying it sends out confusing signals, which does not help either the government or the city.