Mumbai, Sep 2 (IANS): The grimy Mahim Beach, one of the smaller and less glamorous cousins of Chowpatty and Juhu beaches, just got a Rs 4 crore, environment-friendly makeover, along with the city's first 30-metre-tall beach watch-tower, making it a strong contender for tourists, BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said here on Friday.

Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray, in the presence of Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar, Additional BMC Commissioner Dr Sanjeev Kumar and others, inaugurated the 200-metre long small beach spread across around 5,000 square metres, which had so long been virtually wasted as a permanent garbage dump.

"Mumbai has now got a new beach. Its area is much less compared with the others like Chowpatty or Juhu beaches, but it has got the best of new amenities after the 'Mahim Beach Beautification Project' was completed," a Assistant Municipal Commissioner Kiran Dighavkar told IANS.

For decades, the approach to the Mahim sea stretch was clogged by illegally parked trucks, or other big and small vehicles, the northern part was encroached by several hutments, the wall of the Mahim Police Colony on the south was crumbling, and the entire sea-front had become a den of local criminals.

"We first removed the five encroachments by giving them alternative accommodation, cleared the approach route of all obstacles, cleared up all the garbage, removed all stones, big or small boulders and finally made it a smooth, clean, sandy, people-friendly beach," said Dighavkar.

A dilapidated coastal retaining wall to prevent washing out of soil, has been rebuilt and the sand has been filled on the beach to a height of 5 feet, to cover the gaps and also prevent future erosion.

The sand was brought and dumped here from the excavation work of the ongoing Mumbai Coastal Road project, saving a bagful of money for the BMC, which carried out the major beautification project.

The new retaining wall is stronger after the repairs, and now dons paintings depicting the cultural aspects of Mumbai and the Mahim region, and the beach is now easily approachable through a stony footpath.

A few artificial sculptures, sculpted trees, besides a major tree plantation drive of 200 Suru saplings, 350 seedling of Tikoma, 300 seedlings of Bamboo, and 200 of Chafya not only add to the beach beauty, but also make it 'greener' and eco-friendly.

Giving an eco-friendly edge, a bamboo fence has been erected around the boundary and a few exercise equipment provided for the citizens are also made of wood, said a BMC official.

"The 30-metre-tall viewing tower is the first on any beach in Mumbai... It offers stunning views of the Bandra Worli Sea Link, Bandra and Mahim areas to the north and south and the Mumbai skyline," said Dighavkar.