Who will pay for beautification of buildings on Marine Drive, ask residents

Mumbai: A day after the civic body came out with their plan to paint sea-facing art deco buildings on Marine Drive uniformly, residents expressed their dissatisfaction at not being taken into confidence on this matter and wanted to know who will foot the bill.

Most societies, the residents said, have recently painted their buildings and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) plan to uniformly paint and “beautify” the buildings will lead to wastage of society funds.

A section of Marine Drive residents also opined that a committee comprising stakeholders could have been formed based on which a decision should have been taken.

Suresh Chabria, 67, one of the residents, said while one colour for all the buildings is not a problem as it will only add to the beauty of the area, the residents’ point of view should have been taken into consideration.

“Marine drive is a heritage site and thus should be well maintained. There should be a committee comprising government officials, citizens and associations to discuss such matters before decisions are rolled out,” said Chabria.

“The cost should either be incurred collectively by residents of the buildings and the government, or the government should bear the entire cost as it will add to the beauty of Marine Drive and attract innumerable people,” said Chabria adding, “Preferably, white will look beautiful and add to the aesthetics of the area.”

Atul Kumar, president of Nariman Point Churchgate Citizens Association (NPCCA), raised questions on who will pay for the beautification drive.

“Most buildings on Marine Drive have recently been painted at considerable expense. These are private properties. It is not clear how a uniform colour code can be implemented. Even if the residents agree to it, which is up to them, who will bear the expenses?” said Kumar.

Another resident Mahendra Hemdev, 57, said that the government should bear the cost of painting the buildings uniformly. “One colour will add to the beauty of the place but at the same time, the government should incur the cost. Colour themes and other matters of change should be discussed with the residents first,” said Hemdev.