It's due to a gap between 2 pillars of Bandra-Worli Sea Link, which, fishermen say, makes it impossible to fish

That the delay in the construction of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link has frustrated us all is old news. But now it's even started to affect the supply of seafood to the city.



Till about two years ago, fishermen at Worli used to catch 4 to 5 lakh marine animals like prawns, lobsters, crabs, Bombay Duck, etc, between September and November. But this year, due to the construction of the sea link, the number has gone down to a mere 25,000.

And that number is likely to go down further with the construction of the final two pillars of the sea link.

Space between pillars

The space where pillars no 9 and 10 will be constructed is where the fishermen of Worli get their maximum catch. "We have asked the MSRDC to give us a minimum distance of 50 metres between the two pillars," said Krishna Chantu (67) of the Worli Fishermen Association. According to the plan, 45 metres will separate the pillars. "If there is such a small distance, it would be impossible for us to fish, especially during high tide," added Chandu.

But an official from MSRDC said, "We will place rubber tyres and sheets along the sides of the pillars to prevent accidents."

Anil Deshmukh, chairman of MSRDC, added, "The fishermen have asked for a separate jetty and boats, and also sufficient space for navigation. We expect to solve the issue soon."

Fishermen's colony at Worli
Kolis from Worli Village have been fishing in Mumbai waters for more than four generations. Worli Village has a population of 10,000.
They are the ones responsible for the cost of the sea link to go up from Rs 650 crore in 1999 to the current Rs 1,604 crore. That's because they asked for a change in the design and alignment of the bridge.