Caught in a dispute between the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the residents of Borivali's Kulupwadi have announced to go on a satyagraha to demand riddance from the Kulupwadi bottleneck traffic persisting for 15 years. The residents are also planning to raise funds by themselves after the BMC failed to pay Rs. 5.33 lakhs to the forest department for the diversion of forest land.

The residents of Kulupwadi in Borivali (E) have been facing severe traffic congestion since 15 years due to bottleneck road. According to the residents, the bottleneck has been persisting due to a dispute between the BMC and SGNP over widening the road by including a part of forest land. Currently the project has been stalled as the BMC has failed to fulfill the payment demand of Rs. 5.33 lakhs for diversion of 0.018 hectares of forest land.

The Office of the Chief Conservator of Forests and Director of SGNP had written to the executive engineer (DP) of P and R ward on June 28 demanding compensatory levies against the forest land for the widening of the Kulupwadi Road connecting Western Express Highway in Kanheri village. However, as the BMC has failed to pay the required amount to the forest department.

Mumbai March, the organisation which has been negotiating between the departments to resolve the issue, has announced a satyagraha to address the longstanding issue of bottleneck road and demand swift resolution to it. The residents will meet at the Kulupwadi bottleneck on Saturday at 5 pm and have also invited the municipal commissioner at the protest site and listen to the residents’ woes.

“It is quite disheartening to note that despite the BMC collecting an annual property tax of over Rs. 12 crores from Kulupwadi residents, the relatively small amount has not been paid in the last three months, delaying the much-needed completion of the project. The bottleneck severely impacts daily commuters, causing delays and increasing pollution in the area,” said the letter written by MumbaiMarch to the municipal commissioner.

The residents have decided that if the BMC fails to ensure that the final payment is made, they will raise the necessary funds themselves to move the project forward.

“This shows the determination of the community and also highlights the inadequacy of BMC in resolving the issue. It is extremely concerning that despite 15 years of struggle, the BMC has not been able to solve a relatively small traffic issue. This raises serious doubts about the corporation’s ability to address the larger traffic problems plaguing Mumbai,” read the letter.