Though the Mumbai Waterfronts Development Centre — an initiative by residents of Bandra’s seaside buildings —shared the award with another suburban group, Marine Drive’s residents once again felt that a citizen’s initiative would have been better than a government project.

President of Marine Drive Residents’ Welfare Association, Chandresh Shah, said: “Whenever the government takes up any project, unnecessarily a lot of money is wasted. While the first phase cost the MMRDA almost Rs 27 crore, experts in my committee have estimated that it could have been done with as little as Rs 8 crore.” Shah added that the overall project could have been completed in Rs 15 crore.

Bandra’s Carter Road and Bandstand promenades, he said, were examples to follow. “Residents developed these promenades and are still maintaining them. The cost of the makeover was low and the work was implemented in consultation with public and experts.”

Darryl D’Monte of Bandra West Residents’ Association (BWRA) said: “During the Carter Road redevelopment in 2001, we were in the driver’s seat throughout. We received Rs 1.2 crore from the Member of Parliament’s fund and architect P K Das planned the designs. It was painstaking work and we got the state’s PWD to execute it.”

D’Monte said that Carter Road redevelopment is a unique example of a four-corner relationship that worked with no help from the BMC or the state. It was a partnership between citizens, the MP, design professionals and commercial agency.

Bandra Bandstand, another success story now, was a virtual dumping ground a few years ago. Arup Sarbadhikary, a consulting engineer and trustee of the Bandra Bandstand Residents’ Trust, remembers: “The area had a boundary wall 50 years ago and the sea came all the way up to the wall. But then constant dumping spoilt this. Bandstand was more of a refurbishment plan. We restored the boundary wall and the entire area.”

Sarbadhikary pointed out their trump card — they maintain the promenade entirely on their own. “It costs us Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 per month and we raise it by collecting Rs 20 per month from residents.”

Corporates look after the gardens but security and maintenance of the promenade is completely in the residents’ hands.

Sarbadhikary adds: “A big difference between the Bandstand and Marine Drive makeovers was that ours was a Rs 1 crore-per-km plan and Marine Drive’s redevelopment is a Rs 20 crore-per-km plan.” They could keep costs down by using natural stones that cost one-fifth the price of the limestone used at Marine Drive. “But Marine Drive needs such a mega scheme, as it’s the showpiece of India,” he said.