Mumbai: The tragic incident of a 27-year-old woman getting drowned in the sea near Bandra Fort has awakened the authorities. The BMC has now restricted entry to the area by closing the gate of its garden near the Fort. The civic authorities have requested the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) to barricade a part of the promenade at the Bandstand. They have also asked the Mumbai police to increase patrolling to prevent such fatal mishaps.
Jyoti Sonar drowned in the sea on July 9 when she was sitting on a rock with her husband in the sea. After the incident, the civic authorities recently had a meeting with officials of the MMB, the Indian Coast Guard and the Mumbai police. The MMB is an authority to provide infrastructure like barricading, installing railing etc, while police patrol the bandstand area.
Salman Ansari
Steps to be taken
“We have requested MMB's officials to install a railing or barricade the part of the promenade to stop people from entering deep into the sea. After the incident, we have restricted entry from Fort Garden, which is currently undergoing beautification work. Once the garden is ready, we expect more than 1,000 visitors in the area, which will further make it difficult to control the crowd. So we have requested the Mumbai police to increase manpower and patrolling in the area,” said a senior civic official.
MMB Chief Executive Officer Dr Manik Gursal said, “Earlier, we have installed railings in the area on the request of local slums. Our officials were present at the meeting with civic officials and we are working on the cost of the barricading work. Once we know the actual expenditure, we will see if we can carry out the work under the District Planning and Development Council.”
The official said, “The Bandstand and the Bandra Fort areas get crowded on weekends. Around 500-700 people, mostly youngsters and nearby college students, are seen going deep in the sea to make a reel or click selfies. The rocks in the sea are small and get slippery during the monsoon. Still, people sit on them and risk their lives. Now, we will be putting big warning signs in the bandstand area.”
