Several stretches along the promenade now have uneven, broken, or uprooted tiles. While not always disruptive, the damage ruins the visual appeal of one of the city’s most photographed landmarks and creates tripping hazards for daily visitors
A broken tile on the Marine Drive promenade, where visitors typically sit facing the sea; (right) uneven and sunken pavement blocks, which leads to water stagnation, at Marine Drive. Pics/Atul Kamble
Mumbai’s iconic Marine Drive is the first stop for most tourists — and a beloved escape for Mumbaikars seeking peace by the sea. But parts of the scenic promenade are now showing signs of neglect, with sunken pavement blocks, missing tiles, and pothole-like ditches filled with water and garbage marring the walkway.
It was quite a shock when I saw that some spots had no blocks at all. I’m not from Mumbai, but after seeing so many films and reels about Marine Drive, I knew I had to visit,” said Mayuri Shinde, a student from Pune in the city for college admissions.
Another stretch of the Marine Drive promenade with sunken tiles and waterlogged patches
“To sit near the sea, I had to jump over four or five missing pavement blocks. The ditch was filled with water and trash. I get that the walkway wears out from all the footfall, but I expected it to be better maintained, which, to be fair, it mostly is.”
Several stretches along the promenade now have uneven, broken, or uprooted tiles. While not always disruptive, the damage ruins the visual appeal of one of the city’s most photographed landmarks and creates tripping hazards for daily visitors.
Water collects in a depression along the promenade, creating a puddle of marshy land. Pics/Atul Kamble
“It’s a small issue, but not easy to ignore. I go for a run at Marine Drive every morning, and I usually know where the sunken pavements are because there’s always water collected in them,” said a regular jogger, requesting anonymity. “But today, one of the spots was dry. I didn’t notice it and almost tripped. It’s not a big problem, but an inconvenience for those of us who come here daily.”
When mid-day reached out to BMC Ward A, under whose jurisdiction Marine Drive falls, Assistant Municipal Commissioner Jaydeep More said, “We haven’t received any official complaint about the issue, but we’ll definitely look into it. I’ll inform the department concerned and have a team sent to inspect the promenade so we can resolve any pending issues.”
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