MMRDA scraps Mumbai Eye Ferris wheel project following opposition
MMRDA has scrapped the Mumbai Eye Ferris wheel project due to resident opposition and unsuitable locations, ending plans for India's first observation wheel
Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has scrapped the proposal to erect a giant Ferris wheel, called the Mumbai Eye, after facing resistance from residents of Bandra Reclamation and the inability to find another suitable location in the city.

Inspired by the iconic London Eye, the Mumbai Eye was envisioned as a tourist landmark that would provide visitors with a bird’s eye view of the city. The idea was first mooted in 2008 by Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar.
Two years ago, MMRDA had proposed constructing the giant wheel at the Bandra Reclamation promenade. In May 2023, the agency invited bids to appoint a project management consultant, prepare a technical feasibility report, initiate the tendering process and supervise the entire project. However, residents of Bandra Reclamation opposed the move, citing traffic congestion and an order by the Ministry of Environment and Forests barring any residential or commercial activity on the reclaimed area in Bandra West, among other reasons.
In June 2023, MMRDA said it would look for other feasible locations in the city. However, officials at the development authority have confirmed to HT that the project has been scrapped, and they have called off their land identification search.
Vidya Vaidya, chairperson of the Bandra Reclamation Area Volunteers’ Association (Bravo), thanked the state government for doing away with the project. “A giant wheel is not a bad idea, but the location was identified without doing any study. A cursory look at the one in London would show the kind of ancillary facilities required for such a project. To add to that, the government had promised citizens that only parks would come up here and then they went in a dramatically opposite direction. They can certainly proceed with the project elsewhere, like south Mumbai,” she said.
According to Bravo, the Bandra Reclamation promenade is narrow, while the opening of the Mumbai Coastal Road has increased traffic congestion in the area. Having a giant wheel there would worsen the situation, they said.
“Besides, the site will need parking for the huge number of vehicles that will undoubtedly drive here and all the ancillary conveniences that will have to be created for the hundreds of visitors and all the security issues that will have to be attended to,” the residents wrote in a March 2023 letter sent to the state government, Vandre West MLA Ashish Shelar, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and the Mumbai Traffic Police.
Earlier this year, Bravo and a group of environmentalists had also moved the Bombay high court against MSRDC’s plan to monetise a 24-acre plot at Bandra Reclamation on a revenue-sharing model.
The Mumbai Eye was supposed to come up on an area of about six hectares at Bandra Reclamation and would have been India’s first such giant observation wheel. The Maharashtra government had envisioned it as a new icon for the city next to the existing Bandra-Worli Sea Link. It would have provided views of the city’s skyline, the sea link, the Arabian Sea and upcoming Statue of Equality. Almost a decade ago, the Mumbai Port Trust Authority had planned a giant Ferris wheel as part of the eastern waterfront development project. The entire project, however, has been a non-starter so far.
Apart from London, cities like Dubai, Las Vegas, Singapore, Nanchang, Osaka, Melbourne, Paris, Sao Paulo, and Jakarta also have giant Ferris wheels as tourist attractions.

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