Marina plan at Gateway of India was first mooted in 2011

Colaba residents are firmly opposing the proposed new marina between Gateway and Radio Club, saying it would further compound congestion in the area

MUMBAI: The proposed marina in Colaba, which has kicked up a storm of protest from Colaba residents, was first proposed 14 years ago, when Prithviraj Chavan was chief minister in 2011. The idea has its roots in a discussion held on February 3, 2011, between Ajit Kumar Jain, principal secretary to the chief minister, and RH Khwaja, tourism secretary with the Government of India.

Gateway of India.

During the meeting, Khwaja had expressed strong dissatisfaction with the conditions at the embarkation point for ferries travelling to Elephanta and Mandwa in Raigad district. Ferries and launches leave for Mandwa, the Elephanta Caves and for short harbuor cruises from the Gateway of India. Khwaja, in his meeting, criticised the “deplorable” state of the Elephanta Caves and stressed the need for improvements in passenger safety in the ferries plying from Gateway of India.

He had recommended that the Maharashtra government take immediate action to address these issues, including obtaining permission from the Mumbai Port Trust (now the Mumbai Port Authority) and the Indian Navy for the construction of a floating jetty at Gateway.

Khwaja recommended that the state Transport Department also pursue a proposal for modern embarkation facilities at Ferry Wharf in Mazgaon, while the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) should also consider constructing floating jetties at other locations such as Mandwa, Kashid and Murud-Janjira, among others, along the Konkan coast. These recommendations were outlined in a circular dated February 2, 2011, issued by the office of the CM’s secretariat.

The MMB revived the proposal for a floating jetty in 2023 and issued a tender for a new marina near the Gateway of India but the matter stalled. The proposal has since been revived in light of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s 100-day programme, an ambitious mission that bureaucrats will have to implement within a time-bound period.

The MMB had planned a floating jetty or an extension of the one at Gateway, but the Western Naval Command said it would be too close to their naval base. A few months ago, the ports department had called on then Vice-Admiral of the Western Naval Command and said that building a marina further south, near Radio Club, was a better alternative.

Colaba residents are, however, firmly opposing the proposed new marina between Gateway and Radio Club, saying it would further compound traffic and pedestrian congestion in the area. They point out that the heritage precinct, which draws throngs of tourists year-round and is already burdened by traffic congestion, will be overwhelmed by such a plan.

Subhash Motwani, president of the Clean Heritage Colaba Residents’ Association, also alleged that politicians who have mooted the idea are disconnected from the ground reality at gateway. “At the Radio Club, the tidal waves rise to alarming levels during the monsoon.” The area is prone to flooding during the monsoon and tidal waves batter the wall and pavement at the Gateway, especially during high tide. “It doesn’t make sense to build a marina here,” he said.