In order to boost tourism, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) in collaboration with the state tourism department plans to illuminate iconic 5.6-km-long Bandra-Worli Sea-Link (BWSL) where daily during evening hours, the cables, piers, and the bridge will be illuminated with colorful lights, MSRDC officials said.
Currently, BWSL is illuminated wherein colourful lights are switched on near the cables for promoting or spreading social message but now MSRDC plans to illuminate the the country's first sea-link on daily basis during evening hours for a period of three to four hours starting 7 pm and further.
A MSRDC official said, "The cost for purchase of these lights for illuminating the complete sea-bridge will be around Rs 3 or 4 crore, and we have tourism department on board to assist for the same. Also, we will have to bear the cost of installing a separate circuit for the lights that will be installed separately."
The MSRDC official added, "Currently, when BWSL is illuminated, the power is used from the circuit that of street lights but since now we plan to expand the area for installation of lights, we will have to install a separate circuit for the same. Also the lights will be such that it in no way will act as vision barrier or obstruct in way of reflection to the motorists plying on the sea-link."
According to MSRDC officials, earlier few private parties had also suggested them that the state government can earn revenue by illuminating BWSL daily in the evening, and have a light show kind of activity for which viewers can be charged.
"This model of charging for light show or watching BWSL illuminated was not feasible considering we cannot charge people watching light show from anywhere, it is not simple possible. Hence, now we are going ahead with plan of illuminating the sea-link but without any expectation of getting revenue from the same," a MSRDC official added.
Apart from this, the MSRDC had also announced to install solar panels on the BWSL for generating electricity for the toll-booths, its site office and around 50 streetlights on the sea-bridge in 2017. The installation, however, has got delayed, and the installation for the same is expected to start in next two months.
According to MSRDC, it will generate around 355 kilovolt (KV) of power from the solar panels, and the annual expenditure on electricity is around Rs 1.10 crore.
On an average currently around 35,000 travel using BWSL daily. The 8-lane sea-bridge was inaugurated in 2009 to provide an additional outlet for one to travel from south Mumbai towards western suburbs, and vice-versa.
