MUMBAI: The Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA) has shut the stone slipway, also known as Jetty No 5, at the Gateway of India, instructing boat operators to dock their craft at the floating pontoon instead. The pontoon, built and operated by the Royal Bombay Yacht Club (RBYC) 18 months ago, entails a fee of around ₹90 per person, a deterrent to boat operators and the public. The port authority, which manages navigation at the Gateway of India, is enforcing its directive due to overcrowding that is raising safety concerns.
The directive applies to the slipway only, not to the other jetties (Nos 0 to 4), used by traditional and modern ferries to ply to Mandwa, Alibag, JNPA and Elephanta.
Until now, the slipway, a part of the heritage promenade at the Gateway of India, was used by yacht owners, as well as private and commercial speedboat operators travelling to Mandwa, Alibag, JNPA, Elephanta, and running evening harbour cruises. The slipway also allowed RBYC members to access their sailboats anchored in the harbour.
The notice announcing the closure of the slipway was published by the MbPA on Monday. It says unrestricted ingress and egress of passengers and private craft at the slipway led to “persistent overcrowding, exceeding the operational capacity of the facility, thereby precipitating an imminent threat of stampedes and accidental falls into the sea”.
It also says unrestricted use of the stone slipway has made it difficult to implement security protocols as required in the nearby high-security zone, where the Western Naval Command is situated.
“With immediate effect, the slipway at Jetty No5 shall not be utilised for the embarking or disembarking of passengers, crew or any other persons, nor for the movement, handling or transfer of personnel effects, materials or equipment,” the notice states.
Violating this directive will entail the suspension or cancellation of boat licences, detention of vessels and penalties under the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021, according to the notice.
The directive has been opposed by speaker of the legislative assembly, Rahul Narwekar, who is also the MLA from Colaba. “This is nothing but an attempt to enrich private agencies or contractors, who have been permitted to put up a pontoon at Jetty No 5. With 8 to 10 passengers travelling in a speedboat, this amounts to a flat ₹1,000 per boat,” Narwekar says.
“Water transport must be made affordable, not costlier. People have brought this to my notice. How can this jetty suddenly turn unsafe. If indeed it is, the MbPA must make alternative arrangements,” he says.
MbPA chairperson N Angamutthu insists the primary reason for the slipway’s closure is the sheer number of passengers using it. “This congestion creates a hazard, where passengers, especially during high tide or choppy waters, are at risk of being pushed or slipping and falling into the sea,” he says.
“Section 7.7 of the Gazette Notification 194, published on October 27, 2025, explicitly makes the use of a pontoon mandatory for all passenger transfers. It is a safety measure designed to provide a stable platform,’’ he adds.
Commodore of the Royal Bombay Yacht Club, Shahid Bashir, said the order has been issued by MbPA in the interest of public safety and “we will abide by it”.
A senior functionary of the yacht club says they had been managing the slipway on behalf of the MbPA since 1968 at their own cost, to promote sailing and yachting. It was not authorised for commercial activity. However, an increase in commercial activities has caused overcrowding on the slipway, especially on weekends, raising safety concerns, he says.
“We are not profiteering in any way. We have stationed more than ten personnel and a luggage scanner at the pontoon,” says the functionary.
A floating pontoon was therefore built by the yacht club in 2024, when the MbPA invited the RBYC to upgrade a safety management system on terms decided by the port authority.
Prior to this, a floating pontoon had been installed by a private agency, M/s Queensline, which operated a party boat anchored in the harbour. The pontoon was used by its guests and staff but the boat was shut during the Covid-19 lockdown and never reopened.