Mumbai’s Coastal Road Garden Project Moves Forward as Reliance Takes Lead

Mumbai’s rapid growth has reduced the availability of open, green spaces across the city. To help address this, Reliance Industries announced plans to develop a new “green lung” for the city, the 130-acre Coastal Road Garden.

The project was revealed by Nita Ambani at the company’s annual general meeting, highlighting the family’s growing focus on public cultural and community initiatives. The development comes at a time when residents face shrinking access to public spaces amid extensive infrastructure expansion.

Mumbai’s Shrinking Access to Public Spaces

Mumbai has experienced major redevelopment in recent years, with large-scale projects such as metro extensions, a new coastal highway and a new airport transforming the city. These changes have led to fewer open spaces for residents, who currently have access to only 1.24 square metres of public open space per person.
In comparison:

• New Delhi: 21.5 sq. m per person
• Bengaluru: 17.3 sq. m per person

The city aims to increase this figure to 2 sq. m per person, according to planning documents. Officials note that the Coastal Road Garden and plans to open the historic Mahalaxmi Race Course during off-season periods could help Mumbai move closer to this target.

Reliance’s Role in Mumbai’s Urban Transformation

Reliance Industries is developing the garden on reclaimed land as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mandate. Indian law requires large companies to allocate 2% of their earnings to public welfare projects, and the Coastal Road Garden will form part of Reliance’s contribution.

Although Mumbai is surrounded by natural assets such as Sanjay Gandhi National Park and large tracts of mangrove forests, much of this land is inaccessible to the public. This disconnect between green cover and public access remains a challenge for urban planners.

Funding and Historical Delays in the Coastal Road Garden

The Coastal Road Garden project has been discussed for decades. It was first proposed in the 1990s, with architect Hafeez Contractor’s firm designing a plan that would have allocated four times more space. However, objections related to land reclamation, environmental impact and budget constraints halted progress.

The BMC revived the project by floating a tender in 2024, which attracted bids from six major corporations. Reliance ultimately took up the project through its CSR programme, enabling development to proceed after years of delays.

Read More: Reliance Group Clarifies its Separation from Reliance Communications.

Conclusion

Mumbai’s new Coastal Road Garden marks a significant step towards improving the city’s limited open space availability. Reliance’s involvement is set to accelerate progress on the long-pending project.

The initiative aligns with broader efforts to enhance urban livability as Mumbai undergoes major infrastructure changes. As the city aims to raise per-capita access to open spaces, public-private partnerships may continue playing an important role in reshaping Mumbai’s landscape.

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