Marine Drive makeup plan hits budget roadblock

The plans included a viewing deck, an observatory to see the sunset and glass capsule elevators on one of the iconic Art Deco buildings at the southern tip of the city. Now, all that revellers will get is a wider promenade and a handful of trees.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which was carrying out the project, had completed the first phase and handed over the second to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in August. Conflicts between residents, architects and the hurdles involved in getting permission from the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) and the heritage committee had led to the handover.

Then, Municipal Commissioner Jairaj Phatak had said that the project would be taken up after the monsoon. On Friday, additional municipal commissioner R A Rajeev announced the scrapping and said, “Many of the proposed elements were unfeasible. We may revive it later under a different strategy.”

The second phase involved creating a sunset point in front of the NCPA, a promontory 200 metres into the sea at Nariman Point, an amphitheatre at Chowpatty, underground parking near gymkhanas, high-tide and low-tide decks in front of the Air India building, an eco-walk along the sea and revamped Art Deco buildings. “None of these aspects were going to add to the aesthetics of Marine Drive,” Rajeev said. “We may come up with a different and new plan and revive the second phase. However, the earlier aspects including the lift and observatory will not be a part of it,” he said.

Anil Bhatia, member of the Marine Drive Council, said, “With the entire load of the makeover having fallen on the BMC’s shoulders now, it was understandable that the plan would be shelved. The BMC would obviously want to look at finances and redo the plan.”