Activists slam Mumbai Coastal Road hoardings plan

Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani stated that the hoarding plans had not been finalised yet. File pic/Ashish Raje

After a month and a half, the issue of large hoardings along the Coastal Road has resurfaced. Activists have written a letter to the BMC raising objections after learning that a contract for erecting hoardings has been awarded to an agency. However, a BMC officer claimed that the plan has not yet been finalised. In August, south Mumbai residents and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray strongly opposed the proposal.

The BMC had initially decided to allow six hoardings - four in Tata Garden and two in an open space near Haji Ali - along the Coastal Road. The corporation is expected to generate around R5 crore in revenue annually from these hoardings.

In a letter to the municipal commissioner on Sunday, September 29, activists Zoru Bhathena and Stalin D stated that they had learned about plans for the civic body's licence department to erect hoardings at Tata Garden Park, Bhulabhai Desai Road (D Ward), and Lala Lajpat Rai Park (BMC Garden) at Haji Ali (G South Ward) along the Coastal Road. "It is also understood that these proposals have been approved by the municipal commissioner and that tenders have already been floated and awarded to an agency. Back-to-back V-shaped commercial hoardings/digital LED glow sign boards are proposed to be erected in existing parks and gardens for viewing by those using the Coastal Road," said Bnathena. The proposal has been sent to the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA). The activists' letter raised objections based on the CRZ Regulations, 2019, which prohibit the commercial use of all open spaces, parks, and gardens within the CRZ in MCGM limits. They urged the corporation to withdraw plans for commercial exploitation of any open space within the CRZ limits, whether within the Coastal Road project area or elsewhere. Activists sent a letter earlier as well on August 12.

Civic Chief Bhushan Gagrani stated that the hoarding plans had not been finalised yet. He did not respond to questions about whether the BMC had received approval from the MCZMA.

In August, south Mumbai residents launched an online petition opposing the erection of large hoardings along the Coastal Road. The petition, organised by the Breach Candy Residents Forum, has received 8,983 signatures so far. It highlights concerns from citizens living at Nepean Sea Road, Breach Candy, Haji Ali, the fishermen's habitats at Lotus Junction and Worli, among others. The petition states that erecting hoardings would not only spoil the aesthetics of the area but also distract drivers. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray also raised the issue, demanding that hoardings should not be installed in the open spaces along the Coastal Road.