The Malabar Hill Citizens Association has written to the Hon. Chief Minister and also to the Municipal Commissioner to widen the Walkeshwar Road. Their letter mentions ‘the widening of Walkeshwar Road was prescribed at 27.45 meter wide way back in 1967 and subsequently reected in DP of 1991 & DP of 2034 but has remained neglected and pending for so many years which needs urgent attention considering present traffic scenario etc and the importance of this road etc.’
The Letter has suggested widening of the road in 3 parts as follows:
1. Stretch from Chowpatty Bandstand till Fionica building opposite Sheetal Baug: (About 600-650 meters) In this stretch proposed widening is mainly on left side i.e seaside. In this regard, residents referred an article of Architect Shri Jashwant Mehta which was published in ‘The Voice of Malabar Hills’ August 2024 issue. There is no hurdle in widening this stretch and as mentioned in the article, a promenade can also
be included to enhance the scenic beauty along with an additional lane for parking for the residents.
2. Stretch between Fionica building till Raj Bhavan gate near Afghan Consulate: (About 450 meters) Lot of development has taken place here in last 6 decades and open space for setback for road widening is already provided which needs to be merged. There is no footpath even on the road & couple of bus stops can be shifted on the side of the road so there is no stoppage of bus on the main road and the trafc
doesn’t get blocked. There are 3 buildings of 3-5 stories in the setback for road widening touching the present road line. Constructed prior to 1965 and are due for redevelopment and an incentive if necessary could be provided to redevelopment proposals so as to rehabilitate the occupants. Letter mentions that as a rule the setback is to be handed over to BMC before giving CC above plinth. However, it is indeed
surprising that buildings recently constructed are occupied without handing over any setback land and full height compound wall is constructed & even widening of footpath which is practically non existent has not been done.
3. The stretch from Afghan Consulate to Teen Batti Junction: (App 500 meters) where there are only 3 private properties bearing C.S No. 155, 156 & 154. Having total frontage of 100 meters and the rest of the stretch about 400 meters is abutting Raj Bhavan property. The letter suggests to initiate the process for handing over setback land of this stretch in larger public interest subject to the proposal being initiated by
the BMC & Urban Development (UD Dept). The BMC along with UD dept should start the process, the le will have to move all the way to the President of India as Raj Bhavan land is ofcially owned by the Govt. of India. Residents said they met the Hon. Governor in January this year when he very informally agreed to consider the proposal for use of govt. land if submitted for public purpose. Residents also gave the Hon. Governor, article by Architect Shri Jashwant Mehta published in ‘The Voice of Malabr Hills’ to widen the road and make a public park in the land of Raj Bhavan.
Residents thanked the Hon. CM and Municipal Commissioner for the BMC’s stop work notice issued for the plan sanctioned on plot C.S No. 156 based on the reduced road width. The residents requested that resolution No.1314 dtd 16.01.2023 be revoked as soon as possible, as it reduced the width of the road. They also requested for a follow-up on the action for widening the road. The widening of this arterial road is essential for our neighbourhood’s infrastructure, as several redevelopment projects are underway.
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