Residents not impressed with BMC’s Marine Drive revamp plan

Incensed residents have pointed out that an LCD wall along the NCPA boundary will add to the light pollution in an already overly illuminated gymkhana zone. They have also stressed on the problems of overcrowding an already choked space—one, moreover, where the coastal road project has eaten into promenade space

Mumbai: A presentation by the BMC to South Mumbai residents on refurbishing the already beautified Marine Drive promenade has met with stiff opposition, as the civic body has plans to build a performance circle and a cafe, along with a laser show on the roof of the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) at Nariman Point.

Further elaborating on the point, Kumar said that there were already two five-star hotels which housed over a thousand guests and hosted large functions. The NCPA, he added, had five performance theatres, which led to a surge of visitors and traffic. “The proposal to build a performance circle and a cafe under the above circumstances does not seem to have taken these major infrastructural challenges into account,” he said. (HT PHOTO)

Incensed residents have pointed out that an LCD wall along the NCPA boundary will add to the light pollution in an already overly illuminated gymkhana zone. They have also stressed on the problems of overcrowding an already choked space—one, moreover, where the coastal road project has eaten into promenade space.

On Monday, the Nariman Point Churchgate Citizens’ Association (NPCCA), the Federation of Churchgate Residents (FCR) and the Marine Drive Residents’ Association (MDRA) sent a letter to assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar on this. Atul Kumar, president, NPCCA, stated in the letter, “The Marine Drive endpoint at NCPA is a dead-end road with no exit except to take a U-turn to connect back to Marine Drive. The area is already extremely congested with limited movement for vehicles, pedestrians and visitors to the promenade area.”

Further elaborating on the point, Kumar said that there were already two five-star hotels which housed over a thousand guests and hosted large functions. The NCPA, he added, had five performance theatres, which led to a surge of visitors and traffic. “The proposal to build a performance circle and a cafe under the above circumstances does not seem to have taken these major infrastructural challenges into account,” he said.

Kumar also mentioned the proposed Nariman Point-to-Cuffe Parade connector. “Consideration needs to be given to free flow of movement of pedestrians and vehicles, as this is a key arterial road which is already suffering from extremely high density and cannot take the load of any further construction or development on it or around it,” his letter stated.

Residents also pointed out the light pollution in the area, emanating from the five gymkhana grounds, Wankhede and Brabourne stadiums, the Bombay Hockey Association, the new LED bus stops with round-the-clock multi-coloured lights, the new electric signage that was being put up, the streetlights and the lighting on the trees for G20. “This extreme light pollution is changing the essential nature of the Marine Drive precinct, which challenges both motorists and residents of the area,” stated Kumar.

The residents’ contention is that Marine Drive must be maintained as an open and accessible space with the same minimalism that has attracted visitors to it for decades. “All the proposals will merely serve to further congest both the promenade and the road network, which is already overburdened. We would be grateful if these proposals are kept in abeyance,” Kumar’s letter concludes.

The MDRA is also in agreement with these points. “With the Coastal Road project having eaten into a lot of the promenade already, there is very little of it left for people to enjoy the vast expanse of the sea; something that has attracted every Mumbaikar to this beautiful open space for decades,” said Sunayana Sadarangani from MDRA. “The barely one-and-a-half-km-long promenade is already groaning under the pressure of a surge in footfalls that it is unable to cater to. A performance circle and a café or any other such infrastructure anywhere on this truncated Marine Drive promenade will further eat into the remaining promenade space, while cramming it with additional massive footfalls. We feel it’s a disaster waiting to happen.”