Reclamation at the Airport Authority plot in Andheri(W)

This post is regarding the reclamation being carried out in the plot of green land seen above. The plot lies in the Andheri-Juhu Road. The plot is bordered on the North by The Club, in the south by the buildings bordering Gulmohur Road, in the east by Gilbert Hill and in the west by ESIC Nagar.

Fresh dumping of debris can be seen in the picture above. The road was first a narrow 5ft wide strip just next to the green portion in the bottom right side of the photo, which has now expanded to the width it is currently seen in. There is a slum rehabilitation project coming up by some builder Khubchandani towards the top right corner of the photograph.

For the project the developer needs access and hence an agreement was reached with the Airport Authority of India to whom this green plot belongs, that the developer will expand the road to make it 100 feet wide, giving 40 feet to AAI and keeping 60 feet for himself. The filling went on all of May. This information was made available to me by the persons present on the site to whom the contract to cary on the filling was given.

This plot of green land is the last in this area and also a very important absorber of excess run off water during the monsoons. Excess water from all the surrounding areas floods this plot in. It provides a very soothing atmosphere to the place surrounded by buildings.

It is imperative to understand on whose behest the AAI operates. Is it possible that piece by piece the AAI will one day give away the entire land? Andheri has anyway become hell with the complete explosion in the number of buildings, population and cars in the past decade and we cannot afford to loose this last green plot. Is this public property and should the public not have a say in what happens here?

If reclaimed, water which now fills this plot (lower than the neighbouring areas by around 5 feet) will be displace and have only the roads and building compunds to fill.

Far in the picture near the tall buildings is also Gilbert Hill, which is another natural wonder completely obscured with the mostly illegal development activity around it. Seen better in the picture below.