Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) chairman Sanjay Bhatia said on Wednesday suggestions for their plan to develop the Eastern Waterfront were welcome over the next four months. He was invited by V Citizens Action Network (V CAN) to discuss the project and take citizens’ queries.
“This is not like the mill lands. Out of the 283 hectares of land that we plan to develop, 207 hectares have been allocated for gardens and open spaces and only 46 hectares are for commercial development,” Mr. Bhatia said. He said the plan to develop the MbPT land had borrowed elements from the Rani Jadhav Committee that was set up by the government in 2014, but did not implement it fully since port activities were to continue.
“It is important for people to know that the port activities will continue. It will include sea transport and sea tourism,” he said.
Mr. Bhatia answered questions about several aspects of the project with regard to open space, housing, accessibility, and so on. He said port lands were planned along the lines of Manhattan in a grid-like structure as it provides greater flexibility. “While we own the land, we don’t have the possession of several plots as they have been leased out. We will develop them as and when the leases expire,” he said.
The Eastern Waterfront is MbPT’s plan to develop the port lands across the eastern coast stretching from Sassoon Dock to Wadala. Some of the major proposals under the project include a 93- hectare park near Haji Bunder, around 17 hectares for tourism-related projects such as themed streets and affordable housing.
The project also has a focus on a water transport by making a provision for water taxis, international and domestic cruises and ro-pax (roll on/roll off passengers) services. The Domestic Cruise Terminal and the ro-pax terminal at Bhaucha Dhakka are part of the plan.
