Letter to Narinder Nayar,Mumbai First by Deepak Kantawala

30^th May 2011

Mr. Narinder Nayar,

President,

Mumbai First

Dear Mr. Nayar,

I am sure that you are aware of the fact that Citizens Groups from Borivali to Bandra are extremely concerned about the way the Metro Project from Charkop to Mankhurd via Bandra is being handled by MMRDA.

Unfortunately all our concerns are being brushed aside and rather than logically arguing and mitigating the concerns, the MMRDA,  is resorting to  a barrage of dis-information through the press.

As an environmental consultant with more than 40 years of experience in the field, I am amazed and shocked that a project costing more than Rs. 10,000 crores and which will have enormous impact on the lives of millions of people, is exempted from conducting comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) taking shelter in some obscure and century old legal provision!

More than 8000 citizens from across the country sent a petition to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) requesting them to include all Metro projects within the ambit of EIA to no avail.

Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai has prepared a comprehensive report on the feasibility of underground Metro and shown its advantages as compared to elevated Metro. Eminent urban planners and architects have spent years doing research on such Metros around the world and prepared plans for underground metro and alternative routes. Whenever these were presented to MMRDA the response is not a logical rebuttal of these arguments but evasive answers and refusal to examine the issues raised.

We are dismayed at the cavalier, almost arrogant, attitude of MMRDA, when such huge amounts of public money is to be spent and the consequences of the project would be felt forever by the citizens of Mumbai.

I would like to request you to give an opportunity to the Indian Environmental Association along with urban planners and architects to make a presentation to Mumbai First so that Mumbai First could take up the issue of EIA with the Government of India.

Thanking you and with kind regards,

Deepak Kantawala