Mumbai: State govt on Friday told Bombay high court that a portion of the seaside wall on the Gateway of India promenade will not be demolished until next month for construction of a passenger jetty and terminal facilities near Radio Club.
“The wall is not slated to be broken before June 20,” advocate general Birendra Saraf told Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Makarand Karnik.

Clean and Heritage Colaba Residents’ Association filed a petition, through advocate Prerak Choudhary, to quash and set aside the decision of the state govt and Maharashtra Maritime Board permitting construction of the passenger jetty. They assailed permissions given including by Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) and BMC’s Heritage Conservation Committee.
Senior advocate Aspi Chinoy, for the residents’ association, said clearances and NOCs were given without following due process and are per se illegal. He explained the magnitude of the project that includes a 64,000 sq ft terminal with a cafe, shops, open amphitheatre and VIP lounge and a tennis racket shaped jetty that will extend over half a kilometre into the sea.
“When it comes into operation, it will completely dwarf the area and dominate the sea front. It is a heritage area. You cannot alter a building’s window or change its façade yet something like this is permissible,” said Chinoy. He pointed out that the MCZMA has power to only allow a standalone jetty, while the project is like a port that requires central govt’s permission.
Responding to the judges’ “what is happening today?” query, Chinoy said a section of the boundary wall is marked for breaking. “With the wall open in monsoon, water will gush in. The effect of breaking the wall has innumerable consequences,” he added. Chinoy further said the pavement is barricaded and people are unable to walk on the footpath. He urged for a stay on breaking of the wall for “ingress and egress” to the proposed terminal. “Why break the wall now first?” he asked.
Saraf said right next to the Gateway, daily thousands of people in “very risky situations” take a boat or ferry to Alibaug and Mandwa. They assemble and also eat there. “The terminal is a place where people can wait for the boats to come. It will be convenient…This will bring absolute beauty to the Gateway,” he added.
“Are you [state] serious in going ahead [breaking the seaside wall]… with the monsoon arriving?” asked Justice Karnik. Saraf said piling is allowed in monsoon. After being informed the time-frame for demolition of the wall, the judges posted the hearing on June 16. They issued notices to all the respondent authorities and directed them to file their replies.