In June, when union shipping minister Nitin Gadkari announced that a section of Mumbai's 710-hectare docklands would be opened up for other uses, many expected the congested city to get a swathe of parks and stretch of seaside promenades.
Officials said that 30% of the land would be reserved for open spaces, of which 20 hectares would be used for social forestry.
But in its first formal proposal for the land, the Mumbai Port Trust has chosen to go down a very different path. Last week, the organisation decided to revive its plans to build Mumbai’s first marina, large enough to house 300 yachts, off the Victoria and Princess docks on the eastern coast of the city.
The marina, planned over more than 8,000 square metres, is aimed at giving a boost to the niche industry of luxury yachts, sailboats and catamarans. The area will also host restaurants, shopping arcades and entertainment zones. This will be India’s largest marina, and only the second one in the country after Kochi, which got a small, 50-boat marina in 2010.
Over the past few years, Mumbai has already heard of proposals to construct marinas off Nariman Point, Ferry Wharf and even the Navi Mumbai coast, but none of them have materialised. Now, much to the delight of the luxury yacht industry, the Port Trust has put plans for a marina back on the table, with Gadkari's vision to back it.
Truly democratic?
The announcement has been met with dismay by urban planners and activists. “When they say that they will open up the Port Trust land for Mumbai, I would want them to improve the public realm of the city, by creating spaces for the collective,” said Aneerudha Paul, an architect and urban designer from the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture.
Ideal collective spaces, according to Paul, would be areas such as Mumbai's Marine Drive or Shivaji Park, which can be enjoyed in the same way by all classes of residents. The marina as envisioned by the Port Trust and the yachting industry, however, would signal that it is an exclusive space – just like most of the city’s malls.
“A mall is technically open to all, but there are certain implicitly approved styles and norms that are allowed inside, and not everyone in the city has them,” said Paul. “Cities are meant for transcending class or caste divides, and we have to be able to create an inclusive public realm.”
Reviving an industry
The sailing industry, however, views the marina as the most fitting use of the now-defunct Victoria docks, and believe the lifestyle establishments around a marina could create jobs, drive up tourism and put Mumbai on par with other glamorous coastal cities around the world.
“Normally, every coastal city in the world has some sort of marina for water tourism, except Mumbai,” said Malav Shroff, director of Ocean Blue, a boating company that developed the Kochi marina along with the city authorities. “I would say the tourism value of Kochi has definitely increased after the marina was built, and more real estate has opened up.”
Over the decade, the yachting and leisure sailing industry has seen a gradual rise and fall. In 2004, there were around 100 registered personal yachts harboured around Gateway of India, and the figure rose to 287 by 2010 as more high net-worth individuals took to the hobby. By 2013, however, the industry had sunk considerably, due to greater security restrictions, a rise in import duty and the absence of a proper marina.
Currently, there are around 180 yachts in the Gateway harbour, of which private luxury boats form just a small proportion. Most of the other vessels are owned by various sailing clubs that allow members to participate in the sport of yachting.
The sport, fans contend, would get a boost if the project goes through. “Leisure boating requires a lot of back-end infrastructure – from a safe parking space to fuelling and cleaning facilities – that a marina can provide,” said Shakeel Kudrolli, managing director of yachting company Aquasail and founder of the Indian Marine Federation.
Since the port already has the infrastructure for docking yachts, Kudrolli believes it can be transformed into a marina at minimal cost.
“On the shore, one can create a whole lifestyle around the marina, with a club house, shopping areas, high-end as well as low-end restaurants and a sailing school,” said Kudrolli. “This would also make the areas around the marina attractive to developers.”
Schools and jobs
Given the average cost of sailboats and yachts (they begin at around Rs 20 lakh and could run into crores), the immediate use of a marina would only be restricted to a small proportion of Mumbai’s population. While catering to their needs, however, yacht users believe that the marina can emerge as a space that would benefit many olthers.
For Saif Shaikh, a sailing instructor at the Yachting Association of India, a marina would give a huge boost to sailing schools and water sports. “Not all the yachts at the marina have to be private – we can develop opportunities for people to learn sailing as a sport, and I would be happy to teach people from all backgrounds,” said Shaikh.
Others choose to focus on potential economic spin-offs.
“Every yacht creates at least ten jobs for people,” said Shroff, who is also on the board of the Mahindra group, one of India’s biggest manufacturers of luxury boats. Except for the fact that the general public cannot get onto a private boat, Shroff emphasises that marinas are open to all. “Activities on the water are just a small part of any marina, but the hotels, restaurants and entertainment areas are for everyone.”
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Officials said that 30% of the land would be reserved for open spaces, of which 20 hectares would be used for social forestry.
But in its first formal proposal for the land, the Mumbai Port Trust has chosen to go down a very different path. Last week, the organisation decided to revive its plans to build Mumbai’s first marina, large enough to house 300 yachts, off the Victoria and Princess docks on the eastern coast of the city.
The marina, planned over more than 8,000 square metres, is aimed at giving a boost to the niche industry of luxury yachts, sailboats and catamarans. The area will also host restaurants, shopping arcades and entertainment zones. This will be India’s largest marina, and only the second one in the country after Kochi, which got a small, 50-boat marina in 2010.
Over the past few years, Mumbai has already heard of proposals to construct marinas off Nariman Point, Ferry Wharf and even the Navi Mumbai coast, but none of them have materialised. Now, much to the delight of the luxury yacht industry, the Port Trust has put plans for a marina back on the table, with Gadkari's vision to back it.
Truly democratic?
The announcement has been met with dismay by urban planners and activists. “When they say that they will open up the Port Trust land for Mumbai, I would want them to improve the public realm of the city, by creating spaces for the collective,” said Aneerudha Paul, an architect and urban designer from the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture.
Ideal collective spaces, according to Paul, would be areas such as Mumbai's Marine Drive or Shivaji Park, which can be enjoyed in the same way by all classes of residents. The marina as envisioned by the Port Trust and the yachting industry, however, would signal that it is an exclusive space – just like most of the city’s malls.
“A mall is technically open to all, but there are certain implicitly approved styles and norms that are allowed inside, and not everyone in the city has them,” said Paul. “Cities are meant for transcending class or caste divides, and we have to be able to create an inclusive public realm.”
Reviving an industry
The sailing industry, however, views the marina as the most fitting use of the now-defunct Victoria docks, and believe the lifestyle establishments around a marina could create jobs, drive up tourism and put Mumbai on par with other glamorous coastal cities around the world.
“Normally, every coastal city in the world has some sort of marina for water tourism, except Mumbai,” said Malav Shroff, director of Ocean Blue, a boating company that developed the Kochi marina along with the city authorities. “I would say the tourism value of Kochi has definitely increased after the marina was built, and more real estate has opened up.”
Over the decade, the yachting and leisure sailing industry has seen a gradual rise and fall. In 2004, there were around 100 registered personal yachts harboured around Gateway of India, and the figure rose to 287 by 2010 as more high net-worth individuals took to the hobby. By 2013, however, the industry had sunk considerably, due to greater security restrictions, a rise in import duty and the absence of a proper marina.
Currently, there are around 180 yachts in the Gateway harbour, of which private luxury boats form just a small proportion. Most of the other vessels are owned by various sailing clubs that allow members to participate in the sport of yachting.
The sport, fans contend, would get a boost if the project goes through. “Leisure boating requires a lot of back-end infrastructure – from a safe parking space to fuelling and cleaning facilities – that a marina can provide,” said Shakeel Kudrolli, managing director of yachting company Aquasail and founder of the Indian Marine Federation.
Since the port already has the infrastructure for docking yachts, Kudrolli believes it can be transformed into a marina at minimal cost.
“On the shore, one can create a whole lifestyle around the marina, with a club house, shopping areas, high-end as well as low-end restaurants and a sailing school,” said Kudrolli. “This would also make the areas around the marina attractive to developers.”
Schools and jobs
Given the average cost of sailboats and yachts (they begin at around Rs 20 lakh and could run into crores), the immediate use of a marina would only be restricted to a small proportion of Mumbai’s population. While catering to their needs, however, yacht users believe that the marina can emerge as a space that would benefit many olthers.
For Saif Shaikh, a sailing instructor at the Yachting Association of India, a marina would give a huge boost to sailing schools and water sports. “Not all the yachts at the marina have to be private – we can develop opportunities for people to learn sailing as a sport, and I would be happy to teach people from all backgrounds,” said Shaikh.
Others choose to focus on potential economic spin-offs.
“Every yacht creates at least ten jobs for people,” said Shroff, who is also on the board of the Mahindra group, one of India’s biggest manufacturers of luxury boats. Except for the fact that the general public cannot get onto a private boat, Shroff emphasises that marinas are open to all. “Activities on the water are just a small part of any marina, but the hotels, restaurants and entertainment areas are for everyone.”
