Mumbai News: Taraporewala Aquarium Redevelopment Tender Cancelled Due To Lack Of Qualified Bidders, Fresh RFP Soon

Mumbai: The tender floated in April 2025 for appointing a Project Management Consultant (PMC) for the proposed redevelopment of Mumbai's iconic Taraporewala Aquarium has been cancelled, a senior fisheries department official confirmed.

The official explained that the bids received lacked relevant experience in aquarium projects, which was a key requirement. “The PMC must have expertise in handling aquarium-specific infrastructure, and since none of the applicants met that criteria, the tender was scrapped,” the official said. A proposal to issue a fresh Request for Proposal (RFP) has been submitted to the fisheries ministry and will be initiated soon.

The Taraporewala Aquarium, over 75 years old, was shut down during the COVID-19 lockdown and later declared structurally unsafe in 2022. Plans to redevelop the site have been under consideration but have yet to materialize.

The new aquarium is expected to be constructed at the same location, opposite Marine Drive, but will feature a larger, modern facility with state-of-the-art infrastructure. Additionally, it will also accommodate offices of the fisheries department once completed.