Maharashtra govt revives plan for a London Eye replica in Mumbai

As per an initial study, the plan for a London Eye replica will need at least five acre, which can be prove to be a challenge in Mumbai, an official said. “To build tourist amenities, the site needs to be developable, and devoid of buildable area restrictions.”

“The cantilevered observation wheel in London offers among highest public viewing points. It is also situated on the south bank of Thames, which has several other popular tourist attractions. Finding such a vantage location in Mumbai would be difficult,” another official added.

Apart from the site suggested by Pawar, the government is exploring a site near the Mahim Fort, and a plot of land behind the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA). Incidentally, the civic body, in the city’s new development plan, has proposed to freshly reclaim 300 acre from a portion of the Arabian Sea behind the NCPA for a public nature park.

The plan to replicate the London Eye in Mumbai was first taken up in 2006, when BMC, also led by Shiv Sena, had even made budgetary provision for the construction of a 630-feet Mumbai Eye. The plan at that time was to build it on a 14,000 sq m land near the Bandra Bandstand. But the civic body, which was facing financial constraints at the time, never got to implement the plan.

In 2011, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation revived the plan, proposing to build one on public-private-partnership basis. But even this plan remained only on paper.

Pawar, on Wednesday, announced that this time around, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, would be implementing the project. Sources said that state tourism minister and Chief Minister’s Uddhav Thackeray’s son, Aaditya, is keen on the plan. In fact, sources added, before the civic elections in Mumbai in 2022, Aaditya is keen to develop a couple of new tourist attractions in the city.