(HT)
The city is set to unveil a major addition to its urban landscape on June 15 when the BMC opens the much-anticipated promenade along the Coastal Road. The 7.5-kilometre, 20-metre-wide sea-facing stretch between Priyadarshini Park at Breach Candy and the Worli end of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link is expected to be a boon for walkers, joggers and cyclists.
Designed with accessibility in mind, the promenade will include 20 underpasses, placed every 400 metres, allowing easy cross-access between the seafront and the opposite side of the road. The BMC aims to open the promenade to the public by mid-June as confirmed by a civic official.
The 17-hectare public space comprises a five-hectare central median being developed by Tata Sons and a 12-hectare promenade developed by the BMC. This project is part of a larger vision to create nearly 70 hectares of open space along the Coastal Road as laid out in a master plan by infrastructure consultancy AECOM.
Approximately 70% of the new space will feature green landscaping while the remaining 30% will include paved walkways, cycle tracks and public seating areas. The initiative is a significant step toward enhancing Mumbai’s public infrastructure and waterfront accessibility.
To further develop the parks and green spaces, the BMC had invited expressions of interest (EOI) from corporations under corporate social responsibility (CSR) guidelines. Five firms—Reliance Industries, JSW (Jindal), Raymond, Vedanta and Torrent Power had responded. Reliance Industries has emerged as the frontrunner, largely due to its prior experience with the Vantara forest development project in Jamnagar.
A senior BMC official explained that Reliance met all the necessary EOI criteria, including financial maintenance capacity, capital expenditure capabilities and proven experience in projects of a similar scale in the last five years. Other applicants failed to meet key requirements. JSW (Jindal) only proposed development of 20 acres while the EOI required a 53-hectare commitment.
