Supreme Court clears Reliance’s plan for Mumbai’s Coastal Road seafront public space | Mumbai News
The Supreme Court on Thursday effectively removed the final hurdle to the development of the 130-acre public open space along Mumbai’s Coastal Road South, allowing work on the promenade and allied amenities to proceed with certainty while noting that ticketed attractions on up to 15 per cent of the total area.
The court directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to consider Reliance Industries’ master layout plan in accordance with its earlier orders, paving the way for the development of what is expected to become one of Mumbai’s largest waterfront public spaces.
Reliance Industries, which was appointed by the BMC to landscape and maintain the reclaimed seafront land under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, had approached the court after formal approval to its revised layout plan remained pending. The company through advocate Shardul Singh argued that the delay was holding up the project and was against public interest. Reliance stated that while it wrote to BMC on May 18 seeking its in-principle approval for modified Master Layout, its landscaping committee discussed that SC’s approval for commercial or ticketed activities was required.
Dismissing Reliance’s application, a bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Atul S Chandurkar noted that despite the Landscaping Committee directing that the proposal be placed before higher authorities, “in the absence of the so-called approval by the Supreme Court, the matter has not proceeded further.”
The bench ordered: “In view of the above and since there is a tentative approval of the Layout Plan by the BMC, we direct that the Master Layout Plan shall be considered by the BMC without violating this Court’s earlier order dated January 12, 2026.”
During the hearing, Reliance informed the court that the vast majority of the reclaimed land — including promenades, gardens, parks, maidans, cycle tracks and jogging trails — would remain freely accessible to the public. Only a limited portion would host ticketed “iconic” attractions, it said, with fees intended to cover operation and maintenance costs.
The court took on record Reliance’s assurance of capping the area that could be used for such ticketed attractions at 15 per cent of the total open space.
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Order would enable the development of ancillary amenities: BMC official
Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior BMC official said the order would now clear the way for the development of ancillary amenities that had remained in limbo pending judicial clarity.
“After the order of the Supreme Court, the issue of ancillary activities and amenities which are being developed alongside the open space will be resolved. These amenities will encompass facilities with minimum access fees,” the official said.
The 130-acre stretch, created as part of the Coastal Road South project, is set to become one of Mumbai’s largest new public waterfront spaces. Once developed, it will include parks, gardens, cycle tracks, promenades and recreational amenities along the seafront.
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Concerns about commercialisation of the reclaimed land had previously reached the Supreme Court through a plea alleging the risk of residential and commercial development on the site. In January, the court dismissed those fears, calling the apprehensions “unfounded” and the plea “devoid of any merit.”
The court had on January 12 clarified that strategic development around the coastal road “is essential for its beautification and for ecological enhancement for the inhabitants”, but added that “no residential and commercial development for sale or lease of the said property shall be permitted.”
It had said the area “ought to be accessible for general public for its free use except making provision with respect to maintaining the project with high standards and in the best possible manner”. It had added that “no residential and commercial development for sale or lease of the said property shall be permitted to be maintained”.
Work on parts of the project has already begun. According to civic officials, Reliance has created a nursery at Worli with up to 5,000 plants as part of preparatory landscaping work.
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“While plantation work is yet to commence, preparations are underway at Worli wherein a nursery has been created. Meanwhile, plantation in open spaces close to Amarsons and Priyadarshini Park is yet to be brought in as some earth soil for the plantation has not been put in until now,” another civic official told The Indian Express.
Earlier in August 2025, the BMC appointed Reliance Industries to undertake landscaping and maintenance of the open space under its CSR initiative at a cost of Rs 400 crore for a period of 30 years. Reliance had emerged as the frontrunner among five other contenders, including Jindal, Raymond, RPG Foundation and Vedanta, that had bid for the project.
(With inputs from Nayonika Bose)
