The evening strolls on the beach will soon be a thing of the past. To curb the number of people who die due to drowning in sea, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to ban entry at the beaches from 6 pm to 8 pm. Swimming in the sea will also not be permitted after evening hours.The BMC is gearing up to implement the ‘Baywatch model’ whereby lifeguards will keep an eye on beach revelers from watch towers on five beaches before next monsoon. Of the 13 beaches in the city, five beaches: Juhu, Marve, Madh, Aaksa and Gorai, will have life guards, safety and first aid facilities. The total cost for this would be Rs 1.5 crore. Many youngsters and couples sit close to the sea water unaware of the high-tide timings and often succumb to the force of the water. “We will therefore restrict entry and not allow people at night to sit close to the water. They can sit on the sand but not near the water,” said additional municipal commissioner, Kishore Gajbhiye. Gajbhiye added, “Therefore we will not allow people to sit at dangerous locations. There have been many such incidents when people sit on the rocks during low tide and are unable to find their way out during night time when there is a high tide.” The BMC is implementing the ‘Baywatch model’ adopted from Goa. Two years back in response to a PIL filed at the Bombay High Court, the state government had made it mandatory for the beaches to implement a safety model. Last year, Newsline conducted the ‘Save the Beach’ campaign pointing out the sorry state of Mumbai’s beaches, detailing the thickly spread plastic waste and encroachments on some stretches and poor security measures conspicuous at all places. Apart from providing life guards, the five beaches will have protection/safety nets in areas where swimming is permitted, signboards, floodlights and watch towers and even a siren facility along with safety equipment like floats and life jackets. The BMC will also ensure the availability of emergency first-aid facilities and display of information on nearby primary health centres and dispensaries.Drushti Special Response Services Private Limited and Causeways Marine India Private Limited have responded to the Expression of Interest floated by the civic administration which will soon complete the formalities and appoint lifeguards and construct watch towers in the next six months.
