Mumbai: Amid mounting complaints from residents of Bandra West over the alleged commercialisation of the Carter Road Promenade, local BJP MLA and guardian minister Ashish Shelar has ordered a review of permissions granted for commercial installations of LED hoardings, and sought clarity on the promenade’s maintenance framework.In a meeting held on Wednesday with officials from civic departments, traffic police, the district collector’s office and the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), residents had raised serious concerns regarding the hoardings coming up on the promenade, the upkeep, repair work and an attempt for commercial use of the public space that is in violation of the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) norms.
Shelar said the MMB had initiated a tender process in line with a policy formulated in the year 2020, which included provisions for revenue generation. The tender, he said, was awarded to the lowest bidder (L1). However, following complaints from citizens, he has directed the maritime board to submit a detailed report within seven days explaining lapses in maintenance and outlining a clear plan to ensure that public inconvenience is avoided in the future. Shelar said, “Clarity must be established on whether the Carter Road Promenade is classified as an open space under the Development Plan. If the promenade falls under the open space reservation, then commercial hoardings cannot be permitted. Any such activity must be kept in abeyance until this is conclusively clarified,” he said.Residents who attended the meeting said the promenade never had advertisements on the sea side. “As per rules this is a green zone, so how can it be allowed? There should be a clearly laid-out policy that none of the promenades in Bandra, be it Carter Road, Bandra Bandstand or Reclamation will be such commercial hoardings,” said Vidya Vaidya, trustee of Bandra West Residents Association. Patricia Nath, president of BWRA, said, “Many years back when our association was entrusted with the work of maintenance after we built this promenade, we too advertised our sponsors, but very discreetly, of strictly specified size.“
