Mumbai: Reviving the long-pending project, ports and fisheries minister Nitesh Rane has asked the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the Nariman Point ‘floatel and marina’. Rane said the DPR will be prepared by Sept 30 and the project will be taken forward. The floatel and marina will come up along the coast opposite NCPA.

"A review meeting was held regarding the proposed floatel project at Nariman Point. Since this project is important for Mumbai, instructions were given to the concerned parties at this time to prepare its DPR and start the work of this project as soon as possible," Rane said on Tuesday.

Officials said with a number of leisure yachts growing every year, Mumbai has an evident requirement for its first marina with all its amenities. The MMB has sanctioned 10,000 square metres of land to a private company for harbour leisure. The marina at NCPA would be a public private space. At the entrance is a promenade which encourages people participation,” officials said.

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In 2018, though, the BMC had referred the floatel proposal to the Bombay high court-appointed committee including the municipal commissioner, commissioner of police and chairman of the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC).

The committee rejected the proposal on the grounds that the jetty will create traffic problems on Marine Drive and also hamper the ambience of its promenade. Later, the developer moved HC but the court rejected its petition challenging the decision of the committee. It observed that the order passed by the HC-appointed committee was not groundless and was also not based on irrelevant considerations.

"The entire Marine Drive-Nariman Point stretch is open to the sea, culminating in this hub at the NCPA at present. The marina at NCPA provides for an extension of this space on the landside and provides for an exclusive sea-fronting space for private participation. The marina at NCPA would be an iconic structure on the landside envisaged with all the activities that Mumbai as a melting pot of cultures and people along with its tourist footfall would be able to mirror through its cuisine (restaurants, cafes, delis) art and cultural spaces (exhibition spaces) Yacht Club spaces executive spaces (conference areas, seminar rooms, CV spaces) and its retail spaces," officials said.

"Being at the tip of the very vulnerable west coast, it would also provide a secure spot for coastal vigilance and communication through the sea and air. The mooring spaces for the luxury vessels would also provide for a great interactive space between the sea faring community and Mumbai. Tentative costing related to maritime works will be around Rs 243 crore for the seaside activities and around Rs 15 crore for landside activities," the official said.

Officials pointed out that the project draws inspiration from Le Caudan Waterfront in Port Louis, the capital city of Mauritius, Dubai Marina, which is one of the most iconic and sought-after residential and leisure destinations in Dubai and the Puerto Banús, a marina located in Nueva Andalucía, to the southwest of Marbella in Spain.