The Mumbai Eye project is slowly moving towards reality and for obvious reasons, we cannot keep calm! For those unaware, the Mumbai Eye is going to be the replica of the hugely popular tourist attraction in London, known as the London Eye. Once this giant wheel is constructed in Mumbai, it is not only going to attract tourists from all over the country, but also from across the globe. Here we will bring to you all the nuances related to this project and its progress report.
Mumbai Eye: MMRDA floats tenders for Preliminary Study
The project is slowly picking up pace as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has started calling out applications from consultants who will be interested in helping the authorities in carrying out a preliminary study, according to a report by The Indian Express. This study will collect the data and information about the traffic and environmental impact, once the Mumbai Eye project is implemented.
The consultants will list the traffic and environmental impact in the study and will also subsequently come up with different methods to obtain clearances from the statutory authorities. This isn’t going to be an easy task but MMRDA looks quite convinced that it isn’t impossible either.
Mumbai Eye: The Impact on Traffic and Environment
According to the current plan, the Mumbai Eye project is proposed to be constructed at Mumbai’s Bandra Reclamation site in Bandra West. This is going to attract many national and international tourists. Thus, it is imperative that all the arrangements regarding the accessibility and mobility of the tourist area are planned in detail.
There are many traffic concerns that need to be addressed like channelising the local traffic on and around the route to the Mumbai Eye, parking and circulation etc. It is important that the transport system in the city is enhanced as the opening of Mumbai Eye is not going to be a local thing, but a global attraction.
On the environmental front, IE report says the location of the project is the reclaimed land on the west coast. Any changes or development work here will require statutory environmental and CRZ approvals.
Mumbai Eye: Hurdles and Solutions
The site reportedly adjoins the approach road to Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Promenade with proximity to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and the International Finance and Business Center at BKC. So coming up with detailed plans to manage the traffic is going to be a challenge for the authorities and the plan might take more than usual time to be finalised.
The MMRDA had in 2022 conducted a meeting of interested bidders who wanted to undertake the ‘Mumbai Eye’ project. However, those who participated raised various concerns regarding the proposed site for construction of the project. At least 16 representatives had raised this issue about the plot and said the reclamation site was not suitable for the project. An official from MMRDA told IE that they have now decided to appoint a consultant before assigning a contractor for the project work.
In 2006, the BMC had proposed some budgetary provisions for the project’s construction but the plan was later reportedly due to financial constraints.