In a discussion at the Indian Merchants' Chamber today, Gadkari said that as the chairperson of the committee to study and implement Contractor's Western Waterfront Development: Mumbai project, he would try his ``level best'' to get it going.

During the `interactive discussion' titled `Action: Beautification of Mumbai Plan', which conveniently sidestepped any participation from the audience, the minister said he would try and rope in the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) forits funding. He also appealed to corporate houses to chip in.

Though he did not say when the project's implementation would begin, with only six months left before the Assembly elections, Gadkari hinted that it could well be before the hustings. Asked about the detrimental effect of reclamation of vast tracts of land along the fragile coastline, he replied that there was no law stopping it as it is for public use.

While on the one hand, he admitted that both the sea as well as mangroves continue to be encroached upon by slumdwellers, which he claimed the government could not halt, he did not consider the possibility of the additional reclaimation being descended upon by encroachers.

Plumping for the green-belt, Gadkari told Express Newsline that Mumbai needs more greenery and that during his tenure as a minister he has never failed to keep his promises. When it was pointed out that thousands of municipal parks and gardens could do with more greening and maintenance, he said he was not concernedwith how the municipal corporation dealt with its open spaces. Yet, he added, it was his duty to implement Contractor's plan, still unable to explain what the state Public Works Department had to do with a beautification project.

Earlier, Contractor gave a visual presentation of his project to reclaim 17.5 km on the western waterfront between Raj Bhavan and Worli providing over 400 acres of green cover. However, he surprisingly presented a reduced cost estimate of Rs 200 crore against the earlier Rs 300 crore.

Pradeep Chinai, president, IMC, which had jointly organised the meeting with the Priyadarshni Academy, pledged his support to Gadkari on the scheme. Former chief justice of the Bombay High Court, Y V Chandrachud, who is also chairperson of the Priyadarshni Academy Forum for Protection of Environment, also praised the scheme. He said he was ``happy that Contractor's talents are being recognised by the government''.

Among those present in the 100-strong audience were industrialist S P Godrej, formersheriff F T Khorakiwala, advocate Adik Shirodkar, dean of the Law Department, University of Mumbai, Dr Vijay Chitnis, chairperson of the Priyardshani Academy Nanik Rupani and other corporate biggies like Geeta Mirchandani, Maya Shahani and Ramesh Daswani. Daswani, however, had the final word, albiet after the meeting. ``The project appears fantastic, though how practical it is, will be the question.''