Dear Citizens,

The High Court hearings on the Coastal Road matter concluded yesterday. The petitioners and their battery of lawyers have put in painstaking work and meticulous research to contest the project on multiple grounds. Over the last two weeks, counsels have argued about the futility of the coastal road because it doesn’t achieve the main aim of decongesting the city. They have also challenged the legality of the project from various angles; for its lack of prior environmental and wildlife clearances, and also argued about the disastrous implications of the Coastal Regulation Zone amendment. This will open up the entire coastline of India for irresponsible development and environmental destruction. The Chief Justice has made many pro-environment comments along the way and petitioners are hoping to receive a judgment within the next few weeks.

How we define progress is a central question that will determine the outcome of this case and our city's future. We hope that the judges will take note of principles that have guided massive infrastructure projects in Bombay's history. Victoria Terminus Station (CST) heralded the advent of public transport in the form of train travel for millions of Indians in the nineteenth-century. The architects placed a statue of the Lady of Progress atop the iconic building's central dome. She carries a torch to illuminate the way forward, and a wheel symbolizing change.

Given the needs of millions of Mumbaikars and our increasing concern for environmental protection, we hope that Mumbai's future carries forward the tradition of public transportation and ushers in a new era of ecological harmony.

Thank you,

Team Save Our Coast
 

PC: Aaran Patel