Mumbai
Plan includes artificially nourishing the beach and extending it on Marine Drive at a cost of Rs 200 crore
Updated : Feb 17, 2018, 06:00 AM IST
Mumbai's Girgaum Chowpatty may finally get a bigger, better avatar as the state government mulls extending the beach further towards Marine Drive. Though the project was conceptualised by the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), it was undergoing a re-think as the stretch comes under the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT). The agency also had doubts about monetisation and logistical issues like availability of high-quality sand. However, sources from the state government told DNA that "Marine Drive was a probable site for funding under the second tranche of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded Sustainable Coastal Protection and Management Investment Program (SCPMIP)." An official confirmed, "We may finally get a go-ahead for the site."
Sources said the plan included artificially nourishing the iconic Girgaum Chowpatty beach and extending it further on Marine Drive at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore. The beach will be taken further south on the Queen's Necklace till the Marine Drive flyover with the ungainly tetrapods and rocks being replaced. The length of the existing beach will also be extended through artificial nourishment to ensure uniformity.
According to the MMB's original plan, this will lead to the creation of an around 1 km longer and 200 meter wide beach with a sand retention structure and offshore reef, covering a third of Marine Drive. Apart from the beach nourishment, a groyne to hold the sand and artificial reef may also be installed, though the final contours of the proposal will be decided in the detailed project report (DPR).
"After the financial consents come through, the detailed project reports will be commissioned. The actual works may start a few years later as the number of consents involved is huge," the source explained.