Now, Walk Through Mangroves On Juhu-Versova Broadway

In a move that is targeted to promote tourism, Mumbai's two most popular beaches, Juhu and Versova, will soon be connected through a broad walkway. The broadway will be connecting the four-km Juhu shoreline with the 2.5-km Versova beach, which is separated by mangroves. The broadway will pass through mangroves and creek and will be open for citizens to jog or walk the entire length of 6.5 km.

The broadway is planned by the Mumbai Maritime Board under the Versova Beach Restoration Project. Under the project, shacks for restaurants, arena for water and beach sports would also be created.

The project was approved by Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority last year and has been funded by the state government at Rs 28 crore.

According to officials, no mangroves will be destroyed while building the broadway. The project will be operational by the end of the year, and is expected to replenish the Versova beach. The MMB will be replicating this model to restore other beaches lying along the state coastline.

Boosting green cover along coastline

As the greenery is on depletion due to rapid urbanisation, the Mumbai civic authority is planning to plant one lakh saplings at the mangrove park at the Gorai-Manori Beach area. Authorities have already approved Rs 1 crore for the project and another Rs 3 crore will be pumped in by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Authority.

Impact on real estate

Juhu and Versova are prime real estate markets in Mumbai where property prices exceed Rs 30,000 per sqft. While Juhu is dotted with high-end luxury hotels and celebrity homes, Versova also shares similar kind of infrastructure except the bungalows which have been taken down to give way to high-rises and multi-storey buildings. With the broadway coming in, there would be a direct impact on the rental demand in these areas, ensuring a good time for real estate investors to charge a premium from their tenants.