Mumbai: After facing severe criticism from political parties, activists, and local residents, the BMC issued a clarification on Friday regarding the installation of advertising billboards along the Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP).
The civic authorities stated that the location for these billboards lies beyond the legal Right of Way (RoW) of the Coastal Road. Additionally, the location does not fall within the reclamation area, confirming it is not part of the MCRP itself.
The BMC has granted the rights to install digital hoardings at locations such as Haji Ali and Tata Garden along the coastal road to M/s Bijalist Advertising LLP. This company has been tasked with the Design, Build, Finance, Operate, Maintain, and Transfer (DBFOMT) responsibilities for the advertising structures.
The BMC expects to generate approximately Rs 1 crore per month in revenue from these digital hoardings. While the proposal has already received approval from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), it is now under scrutiny by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
In its statement, the BMC clarified that the advertising rights were granted through an e-tendering process conducted on the official Maharashtra government website, mahatenders.gov.in, with the approval of the competent authorities.
“After completing the internal administrative procedures at the BMC level, M/s Bijalist Advertising LLP will be required to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from all relevant authorities before proceeding with the installation of the advertising billboards. This also includes authorities such as MCZMA. The issuance of the NOC is entirely subject to the rules and regulations of the respective authorities and falls within their jurisdiction,” the BMC stated.
Recently the residents of Breach Candy and Napeansea Road had written an open letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Cabinet Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, urging them to revoke the approval for the installation of advertising billboards along the MCRP.
Taking cognizance of the letter the MoEF&CC has directed the Member Secretary of the MCZMA to review the matter and provide a response to both the complainant and the ministry. The ministry has also instructed the competent authority to take appropriate action if the grievances raised by the residents are found to be valid.