India, Nov. 1 -- F ilmmaker Zoya Akhtar, who was born and brought up in Mumbai, has voiced her concerns over the Maharashtra Maritime Board's (MMB) September tenders for 19 advertising installations along Mumbai's coastline, including floating barges and illuminated hoardings. The initiative aims to generate revenue for port and water-transport infrastructure. "This city is bursting at the seams, with its population, construction, traffic, pollution, noise, garbage, lack of open spaces, felling of trees, etc. It's already an assault on the senses. We are in desperate need to connect with nature, and not disconnect further. And we need respite, not sponsored sunsets! Why would people want to look at ugly hoardings when sitting by the water?" she says. Akhtar believes citizens should have a say before such installations are approved. "People pay through their noses for homes with a view, and even if they don't live by the sea, they spend a considerable amount to live in Mumbai. Their opinion has to matter." Environmental groups have also flagged potential light pollution and its impact on coastal biodiversity. Akhtar says advertising should be restricted to designated areas. "Please mark certain areas for commercial advertising and limit it to that. A city must not have signage everywhere. It's mentally taxing; we don't realise but to be bombarded with constant messaging is very stressful for the mind."...