Mumbai’s Coastal Road is set for a green transformation, with plans to convert 53 hectares (130 acres) of reclaimed land into landscaped public spaces.
The Coastal Road Gardens aims to blend infrastructure with ecology, creating vibrant urban spaces with walking and cycling tracks, gardens, plazas, and smart lighting, all designed to promote sustainability and community recreation.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had entrusted the landscaping and development of the stretch from Priyadarshini Park to Worli to Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. RIL is suppose to maintain the landscaped spaces for 30 years.
According to a Hindustan Times report, to shape the project’s vision, RIL has shortlisted six international architecture firms from the Netherlands, South Korea, North Korea, the United States, and other parts of Europe,
Among them, Cozy Designs from the Netherlands was introduced to BMC officials last week. A final selection will be made after reviewing their conceptual designs.
A senior civic official from the BMC’s Coastal Road department was quoted as saying in the HT report, “It (the project) is at the agreement stage and they are in the process of shortlisting international architects. Fifteen architects were first called and six were shortlisted based on experience and manpower. They have been asked to submit a conceptual design. Based on the conceptual design, one firm will be selected.”
Once finalised, the chosen firm’s design will be presented to a dedicated landscaping committee chaired by the BMC’s deputy municipal commissioner (gardens), which will review and approve the final plan before Diwali.
The committee comprising senior civic engineers and architects will also coordinate permissions to ensure smooth execution.
Originally, the BMC had planned to execute the landscaping in-house, but with costs estimated at around Rs 400 crore, the civic body invited private participation through Expressions of Interest.
RIL emerged as the sole company meeting all the requirements.
Operational since August, the Mumbai Coastal Road has already eased congestion and reduced fuel use.
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