Beautification under JJ flyover illegal by BMC’s own rules, says activist

Mumbai: Civic activist Kamlakar Shenoy has raised an alarm about the BMC’s beautification project under the JJ flyover, which includes a library and an art gallery space in empty double-decker BEST buses. To be inaugurated on Monday, the activist claims that the project will take away vital space from the already congested road.
“This space was earlier usable road space. Bikes and cars would use it, and pedestrians would halt there while crossing, as there is barely any footpath space,” said Shenoy, who has been complaining about the beautification plan from October 2023 and now plans to proceed with a criminal case against the concerned additional municipal commissioner, Ashwini Joshi. “Now, the BMC has parked BEST buses underneath to host a library, art gallery space and food courts. This will only attract more people, possibly hawkers, and crowd the space even more.”
The activist told HT that he was going ahead with a PIL against the project in the Bombay high court. “Just because it’s about to be inaugurated does not mean that we citizens should let illegalities pass,” he said. “Our officials must be held accountable.”
Elaborating on this, Shenoy pointed out that the new structures under the flyover were technically illegal in accordance with the BMC’s circular dated 14.12.1999, which prohibits the permitting of any temporary or permanent structure on roads, footpaths or traffic islands. “Despite this, the BMC has gone and spent ₹13 crore on what is considered illegal,” he said.
Shenoy’s complaints to the senior police inspector of the Pydhonie traffic division and the JJ Marg police station led them to raising a formal objection to the plan, which they pointed out to the BMC in February when it asked for an NOC. HT has seen the documents in this regard. However, Shenoy said that the BMC did not resolve his complaint satisfactorily.
“As per an RTI reply I received, the civic body replied to the objection raised by the Pydhonie traffic division, and after it did not receive a response in three days, it took this as an NOC,” he said. “As for the objection filed by the JJ Marg police station, the BMC said that it had complied with the complaint, but I have received no news of this.”
Shenoy further took objection to the BMC’s method of getting an NOC—giving the authorities three days’ time for a response and considering the absence of a response as a deemed NOC. “The BMC needs to give the authorities time to check the conditions and then reply,” he said. “Instead, it wrote to the Pydhonie traffic division, asking them to furnish the NOC and informing the senior inspector that several politicians, guardian ministers and MLAs were following up on the project. Why was that done, if not to suggest some pressure from above?”
When asked about the previous situation of the space underneath the flyover being used by beggars, vagrants and drug addicts, Shenoy replied, “Just because the BMC wasn’t working to eliminate one wrong doesn’t mean it can counter it with another.”