Civic body writes to the maritime board to hand over the promenade, process expected to be concluded within a month
Kids play at the Carter Road promenade during high tide. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
After several rounds of discussions, the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) and the civic body have come to an understanding over the maintenance of the iconic Carter Road promenade. In a letter to the MMB on September 21, the H West ward has asked for it to be officially handed over.
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The two government agencies will recover the expenses of maintenance from advertisement and events revenue. Since the permissions and payments for events are done online, modifications will be made to arrange for the sharing of revenue. The issues were discussed in a joint meeting, also attended by Guardian minister Aslam Shaikh and Tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray, last month. A civic official from H West ward said that for electricity, maintenance and security, the civic body will have to pay around Rs 7 lakh every month. "We have been taking care of the promenade since July 29. Apart from the general maintenance, we have also arranged for security in the area. Once the promenade has been handed over, it will come under the Garden Department and we will take care of repair work too," the official said.
Also read: Mumbai: Residents' Association Calls It Quits On Carter Road Maintenance
Equal revenue sharing
The MMB will manage the advertising boards and share half the revenue with the BMC. Last month, MMB had floated a tender for 19 hoardings to generate funds. D M Mehar, deputy collector with the MMB said that a memorandum will be signed with the civic body shortly.
Guardian minister Shaikh said, "We have given the charge of maintaining the promenade to the BMC and they are taking care of it. The remaining formalities will be completed within a month. The expenses of maintenance will be taken from the revenue and any additional revenue will be divided equally between the MMB and BMC."
In a July 30 letter to Deputy Municipal Commissioner Parag Masurkar, the MMB had said that they plan to hand over the promenade.
Thackeray said, "Minister Shaikh and I held a meeting to clear the confusion. The Carter Road promenade is undoubtedly a popular open space, but ideally, as guardian ministers, we've decided to look after every inch of the city with equal passion."
29 July
Day BMC started maintaining the promenade
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