The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has proposed building a large LED sphere at the Bandra Reclamation promenade. This comes shortly after the cancellation of the Mumbai Eye project.
The planned structure will be located near the Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL). MSRDC claims it will reshape the city's skyline and represent Mumbai as a futuristic city. The LED sphere is expected to be 50 feet in diameter. It will be placed on an elevated platform and feature LED screens on three sides. The fourth side will have solar panels.
According to MSRDC’s project document, the screens will be used for advertisements and public awareness messages. Disaster management and patriotic content will also be displayed. The project also includes a vertical garden, solar panels, and a drip irrigation system beneath the screens.
The project will be carried out over 20 years in collaboration with a private contractor. The build-operate-transfer model will be used. MSRDC states the sphere will be an ecotourism monument that will add to the city’s skyline.
However, residents oppose the project. They argue that it is an attempt to commercialise the seaside of the sea link. This would violate a 1999 Ministry of Environment and Forests regulation, which forbids any residential or commercial development in that area.
Previously, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had proposed the Mumbai Eye Ferris wheel for the same location. That plan was dropped in May 2023 after facing resistance from residents.
However, attempts to commercialise this part of the Bandra Reclamation area have occurred before. In 2017, floatels were introduced near the Sea Link toll plaza. Despite one sinking in May 2018, some floatels remain operational outside the monsoon season.
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