India, Aug. 16 -- Broad pavements, lush gardens and a low building footprint aren't features typically associated with Mumbai's urban sprawl. And, yet, a 28-km stretch along the eastern shoreline fringed by a 6.4-km-long promenade promised just that. Designed to give Mumbaiites one of the things they need most, breathing space, the plan envisioned spaces devoted to art, culture and entertainment, among other features rarely seen in this space-starved metropolis.

Finalised in 2018, this was the second plan for Mumbai's eastern shoreline, proposed to transform 966.30 hectares of land owned by the MbPA. It has now been virtually shelved by a third plan, one that will see 217 acres of MbPA land leased for industrial and commercial purposes, ...