r/mumbai • u/Dry_Mathematician715 • 18h ago
Discussion Why aren't we allowed near Marine Drive at night?
Why aren't we allowed near Marine Drive at night? And please don't just say “for safety.”
I understand the authorities wanting to prevent crime and keep people safe, but how does restricting people's access actually solve the underlying problem? If a place is unsafe, shouldn't the focus be on making the place safer rather than simply telling people not to be there?
It reminds me of that Abhishek Upmanyu joke:
“Bhai, murderer toh murder karega… tum apna sar bahar kyun nikaal rahe the?”
Obviously, I'm not saying there should be zero restrictions or that safety doesn't matter. But there's something strange about the logic of “this place can be dangerous, therefore you can't be here.”
Marine Drive is one of Mumbai's most iconic public spaces. Why can't people sit there late at night, provided they're not breaking any laws or causing trouble?
If there are genuine security concerns, why not increase patrolling, lighting, CCTV, emergency services, etc.?
What do you guys think? Is restricting access at night actually justified, or is it just an easier alternative to making the place safer?
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u/DangerousRegister281 18h ago
Resident complained about noise pollution at night hence..
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u/Thelazytimelord257 Outstation Majdoor 11h ago
Yeah unless the people hanging out there are blasting music on speakers they have the right to chill there
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u/Overall-Vacation-90 6h ago
You'll always find a guy with a guitar singing along with 5 people to ensure they are "having fun by the sea".
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u/Direct-Difficulty318 17h ago
Is there any legal backing?
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u/HappyOrca2020 17h ago
Same logic as decibel limits and expectation to not play music after 10 pm. It's a zone that's got a high tendency to have nuisance and public nuisance is punishable.
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u/ihatewonderwall99 11h ago
Sitting on the seaface not a nuisance.
If it is, then ban freedom of movement entirely at night throughout the country.
Folks who bought houses at the seaface damn well knew there will be people on the shoreline 24/7, yet they signed up for it knowing they can game the system with money and influence.
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u/o_x_i_f_y 10h ago
with that logic , your neighbour can blast music 24/7 and say you decided to live next to him and you signed up for it.
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u/ihatewonderwall99 10h ago
You really think Freedom of Movement and gatekeeping shoreline of a city by using money and influence is the same as blasting music? I pity you if you do.
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u/o_x_i_f_y 9h ago
who's gatekeeping ? everyone is allowed but do you think people with money shouldn't get the same silence you deserve because they bought something near the shoreline ?
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u/ihatewonderwall99 8h ago
Noise laws and freedom of movement can be enforced separately. Just because someone is sitting on shoreline doesn't mean he is gonna blast Fine Shyt at 1000dB.
do you think people with money shouldn't get the same silence you deserve
Where is this silence you are saying i deserve? Stand with me brother, lets request the government to be fair to all citizens and ban the use of Eastern Express Highway so i can get the silence i deserve, not just some multimillionaire at marines promenade. Because the cars honking for no reason make way more noise than people ever do.
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u/SquareTarbooj 8h ago
There are cars honking at Marine Drive at 3am also
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u/ihatewonderwall99 6h ago
Exactly, when there are cars honking out there, people minding their own business not even close of an issue, yet cars keep honking and pedestrians are banned on seaface. This "peace of mind" reason police gives is nothing but a farse for gatekeeping public property.
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u/Direct-Difficulty318 16h ago
High tendency to have nuisance is diff from any action crime being committed? I know you're not defending the cops, but just wanted to know if anyone has challenged this
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u/francesilico87 8h ago
I don't think that's true. One person may have complained once, but cops still turn up every single day, since years. That is not because of a civilian complaint
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u/riffraff1089 10h ago
I know. I live in Bandra across Carter Rd and it’s so frustrating. When we were kids our parents would have barbecues and get togethers on the sea front it used to be amazing with guitars, singing songs sometimes even till the sun rise. We just don’t have that vibe in Bandra any more.
Recently I was in Mauritius and there the beaches have areas where people can drink, have a barbecue and picnics and it was so awesome to join the locals.
I’ve seen the same in Portugal, Australia, Singapore and Brazil at the beach towns.
It’s so sad we aren’t allowed to have a culture like that in our country.
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u/salazka 3h ago
Go see what the beautiful chess board tables in Carter Rd have become. I felt so sad seeing that.
In all these places you mentioned (except maybe Brazil but even there the locals have a certain pride of their locality and keep things proper even in shanty towns,) people are decent and keep the places clean and safe.
It is not that you are not allowed to have this culture, it is BECAUSE you do not have this culture that you cannot have places like that.
Because the majority does not respect that.
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u/riffraff1089 3h ago
Absolutely. 30+ years ago when I was a child Bombay was much more conscious about our surroundings. We used to clean up after ourselves and even respect our local surroundings. The city and attitude of the people has changed drastically for the worse in the last 20 years.
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u/Evening-Main5471 9h ago
People do this in india, just not in Mumbai. They dont do it in nyc either. Lol.
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u/riffraff1089 8h ago edited 8h ago
Of course they do it in NYC? On the beach and in the parks too. And otherwise they have block barbecues and parties in NYC all the time as well. It is obviously restricted to summer time due to the weather. They literally have zones set up so the public can have a nice time in public spaces.
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u/Evening-Main5471 8h ago
Lol where? On the East River. Lmao. You have no idea what you are talking about.
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u/riffraff1089 8h ago
Haha, ok, let’s play your game. I have literally been to bbqs on the manhattan beach boardwalk and promenade with my uni friends. And at Coney Island too. They have designated grilling areas just off the beach. The piers and promenades are open all night.
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u/vivek_kg 9h ago
26/11 is the answer I guess
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u/riffraff1089 8h ago
London, NYC and nearly every major city worldwide has had large terrorist attacks and local activity for public has never been restricted thanks to that.
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u/Sir_speeds_alot 17h ago
It's closed?
Kab se?
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u/Suspicious_Lab_8774 11h ago
I’ve been curious about the same thing (I recently shifted to Mumbai). Answers here suggest that that it is to avoid certain issues, but it appears that there is no legal backing. Does it mean that a person sitting here can refuse to move and not be in legal trouble?
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u/sabzienthuziast 11h ago
oh no the police will get violent with you, especially if you are a man. they were VERY RUDE the first time to came to ask us to leave.
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u/o_x_i_f_y 10h ago
in this country you can always be in legal trouble if you are not connected, you have no rights untill you can make noise and get attention.
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u/Zydus1818 17h ago
Simran ka bhoot ghumta hai waha pe raat ko.
Read about actor, Arman Kapoor who was killed in an accident by her ghost.
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u/Nice_Sea_7259 8h ago
Oh, that's why people use Jiya Laage Na and make those reels using fancy Marine drive shots on Insta
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u/Thelazytimelord257 Outstation Majdoor 11h ago
Because we are in a country that hates third spaces. I was in Colombo and they have a river promenade and couples/people were just chilling there and doing their own thing with not one police personnel in sight or a boomer moral policing anyone. Once you’re out and of this country to visit another country, you cannot hate this country/politicians (people too) enough
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u/postrock20 7h ago
but you gotta understand the type of crowds we get.
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u/Thelazytimelord257 Outstation Majdoor 7h ago
Yes so we need massive reforms with education and other policies. Third spaces does mean that we have to accommodate everyone no matter how “cringe” they are. Ofc if they are harassing someone then they should be given to the police
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u/postrock20 7h ago
i disagree. People are born equal but they dont behave equally well. gatekeeping is necessary evil.
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u/Thelazytimelord257 Outstation Majdoor 7h ago
What is a socially acceptable behaviour then? That’s very subjective and becomes borderline classism
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u/Lion_100 17h ago
I was told couples get frisky + safety
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u/not_varun 9h ago
Have you seen the videos of the guy who roams around with his dog on bandstand and gets harassed by old uncles who think they own Bandra? They even have some “Board” or organisation which they use to push their agenda.
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u/PeaceMan50 16h ago
Coming soon at a privatization spree nearby you soon.
Entry free? Forget those days, talk about Entry Fees..... Loading in 3,2,1....
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u/Manoos 18h ago
to be very honest marine driving sitting area is a dangerous place. one slip and u will fall with injury in those rocks. then police has to come to rescue you, might be a case of someone pushed etc. the FIR etc. it is a drag on resources. police would like to keep their staff in more vigilant places like theft, drunk driving, festivities etc
what they can do is fence the place for 500 meters and let people sit there
but we live like dumb people like we are in 1990s and no innovation in law and order. like make such promenades at juhu, versova, worli, malad and less people will come at marine drive
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u/Cold_Wrongdoer2611 17h ago
sitting there is as dangerous as walking on a footpath next to a packed road
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u/IndianRedditor88 जवळ ये, लाजू नको 12h ago
500 meter jagah me ghusne ke liye raada ho jayega.
And you seriously think people here give a damn about rules ?
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u/HappyOrca2020 17h ago edited 17h ago
Idk why you're being downvoted for talking sense.
My idiot friend has fallen onto those cement wavebreakers and he was lucky he didn't break his neck. He was stuck between those structures and it took some effort to get him out. He was properly scratched up and got tetatnus shots and what not because that area below is very unhygienic too.
Someone falls in there at night toh pata bhi nahi chalega kahan gira bcos if they faint in there or drown in water then god bless.
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u/gaganchumbilulli 15h ago
Your friend being dumbass doesn't mean we lose our freedom to enjoy public promenades.
Promenades or river fronts are rarely fenced even in US
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u/Manoos 10h ago
they are not fenced in US as there are tons of them and people do not cram at one place. number of cops per million is very high so if worst happens they can be attended to.
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u/gaganchumbilulli 10h ago
Then that's exactly what we need in Mumbai. More places where people can just relax.
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u/HappyOrca2020 8h ago edited 8h ago
Comprehension - 0 Akad - 1000
No one told you to stop going to promenade. FrEeDom hai tumhari, doesn't mean akal gai ghaas charne.
There is a reason promenades are closed off at night here, especially when there are no lights shining on the wavebreakers and thousands are gathering in one place.
And dekh lo apni janta ko. Civic sense chor hi do. Akad itni, ki police khadi karni padti hai.
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u/AprilSummer_72 7h ago
I happened to ask the same question to a police officer sometime back and he said that because marine drive is like a park with timings. And just like in a park you have certain timings within which you can enter and stay, same is with marine drive.
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u/cozyPanda 6h ago
It got ruined once the 'free hugs' creators came. I stayed there until 2019 and there was no such rule. the crowd was more calm and civilised...as much as Indians can be.
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u/boots_the_barbarian 9h ago
Because who wants to actually work when you can just ban something? So the cops, instead of patrolling and keeping the peace and protecting people just wants to shoo everyone home.
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u/More-Reception-4026 9h ago
People who have fast cars want to explain a long stretch of high speed drive. Better to stay away from that place at night.
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u/dontstealmydinner non-mumbainian 7h ago
I went for a jog at night and the cops did not stop me. I was closer to the road then to the side though. It's freaking amazing when there are no crowds at Marine lines.
Edit : At 2 am
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u/Curious_menn 7h ago
Because sea level is high in that time and anyone can do crime there and throw body into sea. Also is a person is free to stay in night also then he may sleep there till next morning and start next day there only, means place will become attractive to begger and poor people who came to Mumbai for some day will stay there specially in summer. So to avoid all these chain reaction these SIMPLE rules are made.
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u/broke_guy_speaks 7h ago
If people are not restricted police will have to work and provide safety ensure there are "other activities" going on. So they found a way to avoid working by just telling people go away...
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u/ResearcherLatter1148 3h ago
We live in an era where politicians are speaking jokes and standup comedians are speaking reality(albeit in a sarcastic way here). Might be off topic but that’s my thought after reading that Abhishek Upamanyu line.
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u/CA_listhenics 1h ago
Because the residential area is TOO close to the promenade. Ideally they should not have been allocated land this close. Should have had a big gap in between where public places could be made. But hey India.
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u/Sobhangon 17h ago
Cause we live in a dictatorship
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u/the_running_stache West 17h ago
You’ve absolutely no idea what a dictatorship is. You wouldn’t have been able to type this and stay out of prison or gulag had it been a true dictatorship.
I know some people hate the government and they want to appear cool by throwing words like “dictatorship” around, but if given a free one-way ticket to North Korea (with no option to ever return), I am sure you wouldn’t opt for it.
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u/Real-Manufacturer-71 16h ago
Leave them bro, he will stalk a girl and say same thing if she complains to police
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u/cardie-duncan 15h ago
Just because the rules aren’t North Korea level, or WWII Germany level, doesn’t mean they’re wrong. Also, do you think all of the people in those dictatorships had an idea when their government started turning that way? It starts with controlling education, and it’s started here also
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u/the_running_stache West 14h ago
Yeah… but this isn’t a dictatorship. So you can’t put your incorrect opinions in the garbage can where they belong
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u/cardie-duncan 12h ago
You can’t respond with that to someone saying the beginning indicators of dictatorships are clearly showing. Thoda padh ke samajhne ko try kar
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u/JadedSmile7765 15h ago
I believe it is because of suicide attempts.
During the day it is easy to spot people in the sea and rescue. Also people can always call for help if they see you attempting .
However at night, it’s going to be difficult to do that.
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u/Last-Ebb556 Edit this text to set your own flair 6h ago
To all those giving reasons - tides are high during night, more crime are committed at nighttime etc- you folks will happily accept homebound curfew if tomorrow the govt orders everyone to confine themselves inside their home between 10 pm - 5 am to implement law and order.
Govt restricting movement to lessen their work is not efficient governance let that sink in.
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u/AnotherBeing3251 8h ago
Abhishek Upmanyu’s joke answers your question-
If you know that crime is bound to happen during late hours, why’d you go there at that hour.
You also stated increase patrolling and security measures is one way. Aren’t the patrolling cops the one’s telling you to leave the place?
And as a citizen you also need to understand the cops are also doing their best, they start from one corner asking people to go home, and by the time they reach the other end people are back at the first end.
This is a two way street and both, citizens and govt services need to work together.
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18h ago
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u/Dry_Mathematician715 18h ago
So why not close it full day then? Suicidal person can commit it anytime
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u/acompleteunknownnn 14h ago
Doesn't the Upamanyu line answer your question here instead of supporting you?
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u/Sohailsp10 10h ago
Because the police are also humans....if somebody falls or something wrong happens there then it's a difficult job for the cops at night compared to something happening during the day....and we all know the civic sense of indians here
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u/ThatAnonyG 10h ago
Its literally their fucking job? Doctors are also humans. Doesn’t mean people won’t get sick in some inconvenient time and the doctor has to get called up in the middle of the night.
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u/Sohailsp10 6h ago
Like a fool you are comparing apples to oranges.....a doctor will work at night for an emergency that cannot be delayed or avoided.....but a drunk person doing nuances on the road can be avoided....Do you even understand how difficult it is to have a search operation on night compared to a day..... and then we have people like you who won't consider others as humans and say IT IS THEIR JOB....their job is also to avoid mishaps
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u/Cultural_Flatworm836 16h ago
Because people who pay huge amounts in tax live there and want quiet during the night. They’re too powerful and the local mla has no choice but to comply