Project goes back to the drawing board after heritage authority says it will destroy the iconic Marine Drive promenade's curvature and also spoil the view of the famous Bandra Fort
Arial view of Queen's necklace or Marine Drive
In yet another setback for the BMC’s coastal road project, the heritage committee has sent it back to the drawing board, raising serious objections about the current alignment. The good news, though, is that Mumbai will not lose the iconic Queen’s Necklace around Marine Drive, or Bandra Fort.
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In a meeting on Thursday, the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) rejected the corporation’s plan for the coastal road, stating that the current alignment could destroy the charm of some of the city’s most iconic seaside spots, particularly Marine Drive. mid-day had highlighted this fear exactly a year ago (‘Is this view set to be history’, September 8, 2015)
Marine Drive 2.0
A source from the heritage committee said, "The civic body had proposed to construct two lanes on the spot where the Marine Drive promenade is currently, along the existing northbound road near Princess Street Flyover. According to the plan, vehicles will enter a tunnel that will start before the H20 swimming pool and the promenade will be pushed further out on tetra pods placed at the sea front."
The heritage committee said the coastal road could ruin the beauty of the Marine Drive promenade and the Bandra Fort. File pics
"The Marine Drive promenade has a smooth curvature; if it is reshaped, it will kill the charm of Queen’s Necklace," added the official. For this reason, the committee has rejected the civic body’s plan to begin the coastal road from Princess Street Flyover at Marine Lines. Furthermore, the current plan will also obstruct the sea view near the Mumbai Police Gymkhana, which is where a tunnel opening has been proposed for the southbound road.
Plans decked
But there is another major landmark that was at risk from the coastal road – Bandra Fort. A senior civic official said, "There are two issues that were pointed out by heritage committee members — one is disturbance to the Marine Drive promenade and the other is obstruction to Bandra Fort due to a proposed viewing deck."
MHCC members objected that constructing a viewing deck at Bandra Fort would ruin the beauty of the heritage structure. An official from the BMC said, "We will have to change our plan and redesign the alignment. We will work out other options and then go back to the heritage committee."
One setback after another
This is hardly the first time the project has gone back to the drawing table. As recently as June, the civic authorities had trimmed the project from 33.2 km to 29 km by changing the starting point from Nariman Point to Princess Street Flyover. This was because the previous alignment was clashing with the proposed MTHL (Mumbai Trans Harbour Link). However, it also helped the BMC to reduce the cost of the project, which is currently estimated at about R11,000 crore.
However, former heritage committee chairman V Rangnathan expressed displeasure over this alteration: "The current plan will lead to traffic jam due to congestion and disturb the beauty of promenade. The old plan of starting coastal road from Nariman Point was good."
mid-day's report last year about the threat to our sea view
Last year, too, the project underwent major changes when officials realised that the plan — as it was then — was not entirely feasible. Although work on the coastal road was supposed to begin in 2015, but the BMC had to appoint another consultant for peer review of the project. After they missed the deadline, the authorities also decided to divide the project into phases.
Even if the project gets the nod from the heritage committee, it still has several more hurdles, like getting clearance from the coastal and forest authorities. Neither additional municipal commissioner (Projects) Sanjay Mukherjee nor deputy municipal commissioner Rajiv Kuknoor, who is also handling the project, were available for comment.
Expertspeak
Kamu Iyer, Architect
The coastal road project is a total waste of money. It will destroy not only the beauty of Marine Drive but also several other spots, as the plan proposes to push the sea further out. This is the worst; they are not thinking about possible ecological consequences in the coming years.
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