BMC shuts ‘musical road’ at night after Breach Candy residents flag noise concerns | Mumbai News
2 min readMumbaiMar 27, 2026 08:58 AM IST
Acting on complaints of noise pollution from Breach Candy residents, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has restricted access to the ‘Melody Road’ stretch on the Coastal Road during night hours, shutting it between 11 pm and 7 am.
The directive was issued by Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani following repeated plaints from residents in the vicinity, who flagged disturbance, safety concerns, and potential risks to motorists.
The 500-metre stretch, India’s first ‘musical road, was inaugurated on February 11 between Priyadarshini Park and Amarsons Garden. However, soon after the stretch, which plays the tune of the Oscar-winning song ‘Jai Ho’ when vehicles pass over it, became the source of complaints for the neighbourhood. In a letter to the civic body, residents from Breach Candy also raised concerns over road safety, noting that the music could distract drivers or cause them to slow down abruptly on a high-speed arterial road.
Taking note of the complaints, the BMC has initiated a decibel-level study to assess the impact of the sound generated by the road. Even as the study is underway, the civic chief ordered the night-time closure of the stretch.
On Wednesday night, the BMC barricaded the road to restrict vehicular movement during the specified hours. “The stretch will remain operational during the day, but will be closed at night considering residents’ concerns,” a senior civic official told The Indian Express.
The project, built at a cost of ₹6.21 crore, marks India’s first experiment with musical road technology. Developed by Routes Worldwide India in collaboration with Hungary-based UTKOPRO Kft., the concept uses specially engineered grooves on the road surface to produce music when vehicles travel over them at a steady speed.
