The grand Marine Drive beautification project will be inaugurated on Monday. Some look forward to a swanky, accessorised Marine Drive, others don't...
On Monday evening, the grand Marine Drive beautification project will be inaugurated. While some look forward to a swanky, accessorised Marine Drive, others can’t help but mourn the inevtiable loss of its old-world charm. Speak Up captures both sides of the beautification debate.
Looking forward to new-look Marine Drive
The beautification project will cause inconvenience to people, no doubt. But that would be a small price to pay for the overall benefits from the project. The material being used in the project are top of the line.
The area will get a completely different look once the project is done. The property rates will go through the roof. Marine Drive is the best seafront in the country and it's a shame we haven't been able to capitalise on that. Tourist-friendly countries like Australia and Singapore have been quick to exploit such places and promote them as popular attractions.
However, there are a few things that need to be looked at. There have been a few accidents here in the past and as such, we need better pedestrian-traffic co-ordination. Nevertheless, the beautification plan seems promising and we are looking forward to it.
Kartik Jhaveri. Marine Drive
We could do with more trees
Marine Drive could do with a makeover, but I wish they wouldn't commercialise it so much. The entire drive is dotted with banners, which looks extremely ugly. This was not the scene when I was young. And yes, Marine Drive could do with more trees. They will provide much needed shade from this burning sun and the fountain sounds good too. Also, Marine Drive needs more chowkies.
Crossing the road is also a problem. I, myself, have been hit twice while crossing the road. The crossroad at the Air India building could do with a signal. Also there is a need for a traffic cops to man the road. Hit-and-run cases are rampant in the mornings. Early morning walkers are not safe while crossing the road because at six in the morning, signals are off. Once the work is done, there should be certain hours when you can walk your pet and while you do that you should also carry a paper bag to scoop up after your pet.
This will ensure that the renovated walk remains clean.
Sarita Mody. Napean Sea Road
Give us back our open grounds
We are extremely angry at being robbed of our open spaces. We were promised time and again that our playgrounds would be restored and returned.
However, they smartly grabbed and sold the land. Nowhere else would you see two massive cricket stadia a few hundred meters away from each other. The grounds where our children played have been taken up by the authorities and converted into private enclosures.
We hope that someway, someday, we will get our playgrounds back.
Madhu Bhatia. Marine Drive
Project seems gimmicky
The context in which Marine Drive is located must be taken into account. It is unique for its beautiful combination of art deco and the waterfront. If only these two aspects are worked upon then the Marine Drive strip will stand out. A complete makeover is really not required.
I might sound nostalgic, but putting granite slabs and decorated pockets will rob marine drive of the old-world charm. The entire project sounds too gimmicky.
Marine Drive has its own identity and doesn't need to be made like Las Vegas or KL. Things like making an external elevator on the Air India building that will take people to the top to get an entire view of Mumbai is completely gimmicky.
The beauty lies in standing on Marine Drive on seeing Walkeshwar on one side and Navy Nagar on the other and the wide expanse of water in between.
As long as it's restoration, it is great, but at some point restoration turns into beautification. Here is where you have to draw the line. Somehow, this project has lost the line.
As for completion by September 2006, I'm not sure, things like these have an uncanny knack of never ending.
Anuj Rao. Goregaon
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