In his novel 'The Ground Beneath Her Feet,' writer Salman Rushdie wrote: 'As soon as you touch the sea, you connect with another end of the world.' Visiting the famous Juhu beach in Mumbai is something similar, a beautiful experience. People come there to enjoy the sea waves, cool breeze, and sunset, but now this experience may change: visitors might see advertisements on floating LED screens in the sea.
This is causing concern among those who have purchased property on the coast of Mumbai for huge sums. Many people have spent all their savings and taken on long-term loan obligations by buying such homes. One of the main reasons for purchasing these homes was the open and picturesque view of the sea, but now this view may be obscured by floating advertisements.
Mumbai's beaches offer the city a temporary respite from the hustle and bustle of city life. People of all ages and social strata come here to spend peaceful moments. There is no discrimination along the coast; everyone can enjoy the open view, cool air, and sea waves. However, the sea itself is now planned to become a platform for advertising.
This could affect the city's already shrinking natural landscapes due to advertising. The Maharashtra Marine Board (MMB) has granted permission for the placement of floating advertisements on major beaches and coastal areas of Mumbai. This decision is sparking protests. Dissatisfaction is expressed not only by coastal residents but also by Mumbai residents who come there to relax and spend time in tranquility.
MMB conducted tenders for advertising placement in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Among the locations selected for this advertising are Juhu Beach, Lotus Jetty, Bandra-Worli Sea Link Jetty in Worli, Carter Road, and Marvi Jetty. According to a Mumbai Mirror report from October 31, MMB conducted only 19 tenders in September: 10 were for floating advertisements, and nine were for illuminated billboards. The report indicates that these tenders involve placing advertisements in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and surrounding areas. As part of this plan, it is proposed to install 15 floating billboards on barges and 14 double-sided billboards. The size of one billboard will be approximately 40x40 feet.
Nevertheless, following public protests, Nitesh Rane, Minister of Ports of Maharashtra and Chairman of MMB, issued an explanation on the social network X. He stated that there is a misunderstanding among people regarding the billboard tenders. Of the four proposed floating billboards, two are already near the Sea Link, and only two new billboards are planned to be installed.
However, local residents argue that regardless of the number of billboards, one LED billboard is capable of spoiling the beautiful sea view. Civil organizations and environmental groups are also questioning whether the revenue from this advertising can compensate for the damage caused to the sea and the environment?
Even small apartments located by the sea in Mumbai sell for millions of rupees. Many of these apartments are only 400 square feet in size, but their price is very high. The main reason for this is the open view of the sea available from there. The endless expanse of the Arabian Sea and the sunset over the sea visible every evening cannot be easily seen in other parts of Mumbai. This is why people spend large sums of money to buy sea-facing property.
The sea view remains special even after sunset. Clouds slowly moving over the black sea and some distant lights create a unique feeling. At night, there is little artificial lighting in the sea; sometimes only the lights of coast guard ships are visible from afar. People visiting the beaches of Marine Drive, Worli, Dadar, Santacruz, Juhu, and the northern beaches of Mumbai understand this tranquility well.
The sea view is different during the monsoon season too. When clouds gather high in the sky and slowly approach the city, this is also one of Mumbai's beautiful features. Nikundh Khosla, living in the Bewiew building in Versova, told India Today Digital that the Versova-Link bridge built in the sea does not bother him because it is a project related to the city's needs. The city is growing, and people need better transport access. During peak hours, getting from Versova to Bandra takes over an hour due to traffic on Juhu Tara Road and the Western Express Highway.
Nevertheless, he believes that floating advertisements will look very bad. Khosla noted that a 3BHK apartment near his building in Versova can cost up to 18 crore rupees, offering an open sea view, and said: 'Imagine someone spending millions of rupees to buy a house for the sea view, and their balcony...'
