Mumbai: Residents of Bandra Reclamation, represented by the Bandra Reclamation Area Volunteers’ Association (BRAVO), have issued a legal notice to the MSRDC, demanding the cancellation of a tender for a proposed giant LED sphere at the Bandra-Worli Sea Link promenade. The tender, floated in October, calls for the ‘Erection of Mumbai Sphere as a Public Space Iconic Structure.’
Despite strong opposition from the residents, the MSRDC has not withdrawn the project, prompting BRAVO to take legal action. The notice highlights several concerns, including the sphere’s potential to cause light pollution, disrupt vehicular traffic, and have adverse ecological impacts. The region falls under a No-Development Zone (NDZ) as per Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) guidelines, rendering the project illegal. Residents have also raised concerns about the sphere’s size, stability, and the risk it could pose to pedestrians and motorists, deeming it disproportionately large and unsafe.
MSRDC’s plan involves constructing a spherical structure with a diameter of 50 ft along the promenade, near the yoga statue garden, a popular spot for both residents and tourists. The sphere will be made of LED panels and mounted on an elevated platform. The platform will feature LED screens measuring approximately 40ftx40ft, along with solar panels on one side.
In their notice, BRAVO stated that the tender represents the latest attempt to commercialize this public space, following previous rejected proposals such as the illegal London Eye Project and a Rs 144-crore cycling track proposal. BRAVO pointed that the proposed structure would weigh over 20 tons and located in a high-wind zone, posing structural risks. “As per the tender documents, the surface area of each screen is likely to be 1,600 sq ft, and three screens together would total a staggering surface area of 4,800 sq ft. We have also consulted engineering experts, who confirm that the proposed structure will weigh over 20 tons and will be situated in a high-wind zone, and thereby pose significant structural risks,” the notice states.
Vidya Vaidya, chairperson of BRAVO, said the legal notice was sent earlier this month. Anilkumar Gaikwad, vice chairman and managing director of MSRDC, did not respond to a query from TOI.
BRAVO pointed out that the promenade is developed and maintained with CSR funds from the ONGC and MSRDC and managed in partnership with an NGO. “The decision to construct the proposed structure is manifestly arbitrary and has either been processed without any application of mind or has been deliberately put forth due to perverse, oblique and malafide reasons, such as to benefit certain private entities such as contractors,” the notice states.