14 August,2020 07:31 AM IST | Mumbai | Arita Sarkar
A man exercises at Carter Road which is very popular among tourists and locals. Pic/ Pradeep Dhivar
After the Bandra West Residents' Association (BWRA) withdrew from the responsibility of maintaining the Carter Road promenade, the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) approached the civic body last week asking them to take care of the cleanliness of the area. While the H West ward officials have appointed sweepers a few days ago, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the MMB are yet to figure out a more permanent solution for the maintenance of the city's iconic tourist spot.
Due to certain concerns and disagreements with the MMB, the BWRA decided not to continue taking care of the 1.2 km long Carter Road promenade at the end of July after handling it for nearly two decades. Apart from cleanliness, the responsibilities included managing the advertising boards as well as events, and utilising the revenue for maintenance and security at the promenade. Residents had stated that they were no longer able to maintain the space since ensuring the security had become unmanageable. mid-day had reported this on July 20, 'Residents' Association calls it quits on Carter Road maintenance'.
In the letter addressed to Deputy Municipal Commissioner Parag Masurkar issued on July 30, MMB stated that they are planning to hand over the promenade to the BMC for maintenance and a meeting was held on July 28 to discuss the same. The MMB also asked the BMC to appoint guards and added that the responsibility of handling the expenses for the repairs and arranging security will be discussed soon.
Civic officials in H West department said that they are in the process of drafting a formal proposal for the maintenance of the promenade. "We will put up a proposal with the municipal commissioner, who will decide if the BMC should take over the promenade and maintain it, or share the responsibility. The matter will then be discussed by senior officials in the BMC and the MMB," said an official from H West ward. Vinayak Vispute, assistant municipal commissioner said, "Given that Carter Road is an important open space in the city, the BMC has already started cleaning activities at the promenade a few days ago. The remaining terms and conditions will be decided soon."
Officials in the MMB said that they are floating a tender for the 19 advertisement boards to generate funds. "For now, the tender will be given to an agency to take charge of all the boards and there will be an arrangement where they will share the revenue with MMB. Depending on the discussions with the BMC, we may have to appoint another agency for security and taking care of the events," said an MMB official.
The residents, however, are willing to help run the place efficiently to ensure that it is maintained properly. Patricia Nath, president of BWRA said, "We do care about the space and we have voiced our concerns to the MMB numerous times. As a citizens' body, we would be prepared to oversee the operations if someone takes over since we have the experience of running the place," she said.
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