Coast Guard wants a piece of MbPT lands
Three weeks after Mirror reported that the Mumbai Port Trust will redevelop its land along the city’s eastern waterfronts, the Coast Guard, which has no land in Mumbai, requests for 20 hectares.
Three weeks after Mumbai Mirror reported that the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) has decided not to extend lease on any of its land parcels except for those at Apollo Bunder and Ballard Pier, the Coast Guard has demanded at least 20 hectares of the port trust land.
The Coast Guard has been struggling to find land in the city to set up berthing facilities and helicopter hangars. It has currently based most of its operations in Worli, on the land that belongs to the navy. It had requested for a land parcel off Marve beach, but nothing came of it.
The port trust chairman, Sanjay Bhatia, had told this newspaper in May that a master plan for the development of the port lands was being prepared, and leases on lands that will be a part of the plan will not be extended.
The Coast Guard has now written to the MbPT, saying it urgently needed land to set up its bases. “All we have is six acres of land in Panvel,” said Krishnaswamy Natarajan, the Coast Guards acting additional director general (west). “I have been writing to different agencies to provide us land. We are currently occupying land that belongs to navy. I have written to the MbPT, and am hoping for a positive response.”
Sanjay Bhatia said that he will “examine the Coast Guard proposal”, but refused further comment, even as senior Coast Guard officials said that the agency’s western wing was forced to operate from a “small area in Worli where headquarters were based”.
“We use the navy’s berthing facilities, where the navy infrastructure will obviously get the first preference. We could do with some space on the city’s eastern shoreline,” the Coast Guard officer said.
A navy commodore this newspaper spoke to said that the MbPT will need ``The western naval command and base is located on the southern tip of the docks. Allowing commercial activity like hotels and convention centres could be little risky. Hence activities like coast guard and expansion plans of the Indian navy must be allowed on this stretch. As it is, most of the Indian Naval officers are reluctant to go to Karwar, much of Port Trust land must be given to defence,’’ said a naval commodore.
Kersi Parekh, a trustee of Mumbai Port Trust said, ``Instead of selling the land to private people, country’s defence must get priority.’’
The Coast Guard is also getting four acres of land in Juhu airport At present, it gets very difficult to launch helicopters on the northern side for rescue . This proposal is now getting clearance in ministry of civil aviation. The Coast Guard will construct a hangar here where at least two helicopters can be kept.
Three weeks after Mumbai Mirror reported that the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) has decided not to extend lease on any of its land parcels except for those at Apollo Bunder and Ballard Pier, the Coast Guard has demanded at least 20 hectares of the port trust land.
The Coast Guard has been struggling to find land in the city to set up berthing facilities and helicopter hangars. It has currently based most of its operations in Worli, on the land that belongs to the navy. It had requested for a land parcel off Marve beach, but nothing came of it.
Last month, the MbPT, which is the largest landowner in the city with a jaw-dropping 728 hectares in its possession, said that it wanted to use its properties, especially at Wadala and along the city's eastern seafront, to create marinas, helipads, and recreation and tourism facilities.
The port trust chairman, Sanjay Bhatia, had told this newspaper in May that a master plan for the development of the port lands was being prepared, and leases on lands that will be a part of the plan will not be extended.
The Coast Guard has now written to the MbPT, saying it urgently needed land to set up its bases. “All we have is six acres of land in Panvel,” said Krishnaswamy Natarajan, the Coast Guards acting additional director general (west). “I have been writing to different agencies to provide us land. We are currently occupying land that belongs to navy. I have written to the MbPT, and am hoping for a positive response.”
Sanjay Bhatia said that he will “examine the Coast Guard proposal”, but refused further comment, even as senior Coast Guard officials said that the agency’s western wing was forced to operate from a “small area in Worli where headquarters were based”.
“We use the navy’s berthing facilities, where the navy infrastructure will obviously get the first preference. We could do with some space on the city’s eastern shoreline,” the Coast Guard officer said.
A navy commodore this newspaper spoke to said that the MbPT will need ``The western naval command and base is located on the southern tip of the docks. Allowing commercial activity like hotels and convention centres could be little risky. Hence activities like coast guard and expansion plans of the Indian navy must be allowed on this stretch. As it is, most of the Indian Naval officers are reluctant to go to Karwar, much of Port Trust land must be given to defence,’’ said a naval commodore.
Kersi Parekh, a trustee of Mumbai Port Trust said, ``Instead of selling the land to private people, country’s defence must get priority.’’
The Coast Guard is also getting four acres of land in Juhu airport At present, it gets very difficult to launch helicopters on the northern side for rescue . This proposal is now getting clearance in ministry of civil aviation. The Coast Guard will construct a hangar here where at least two helicopters can be kept.
