BMC Invites Private Firms to Develop Open Spaces Along Road

Abandoning its earlier plan of developing and maintaining 53 acres of reclaimed open spaces along the coastal road at its own cost, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) coastal road department on Friday invited expressions of interest (EOI) for the same from private firms, opening up the possibility of commercial exploitation of these spaces.

- Sabah Virani

MUMBAI:

The civic body called for EOIs, latest by February 12, to also maintain the almost 7 km-long promenade from Priyadarshini Park to Worli, expected to be opened by end-February or early-March.

Companies must undertake the projects as "volunteer agencies" at their own cost for a duration of 30 years, extendable by another 30 years, the call for EOIs notes. In return, they will get naming rights for the gardens they develop and maintain, subject to approval of the state government.

"We dropped the earlier plan of choosing a contractor on BMC's payroll via a tendering process due to the high expenditure as our finances are already strained owing to infrastructure projects in the city," said a BMC official.