Mumbai: Private yacht operators at the Gateway of India could get relief from additional access costs, with a proposal to halve the pontoon fee from around Rs 90 to Rs 50 per passenger being discussed as a possible settlement with the port authorities and Royal Bombay Yacht Club (RBYC).“We are trying our best to arrive at a golden mean wherein both parties will be satisfied. We will ensure that it is halved from the existing rates,” legislative assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, who is mediating between Yacht Operators Welfare Association (YOWA) and Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA), said.The dispute follows the closure of Jetty No. 5, opposite Taj Mahal Palace hotel, on structural safety grounds. An iron gate has blocked the concrete slipway that operators say they had used free of charge for years, leaving them dependent on a paid floating pontoon to reach their vessels.YOWA has approached Bombay High Court challenging the pontoon tariff and the arrangement under which RBYC manages the facility. It seeks removal of the gate, restoration of free slipway access and permission to use other jetties. According to the petition, operators have used the concrete slipway free of charge since 2006. A floating pontoon was introduced in 2019 as an optional facility, with tariffs approved by the Tariff Authority for Major Ports in Dec 2020.YOWA contends that the pontoon installed in 2025 is a different structure, with a different owner, cost and user base. It questions whether the earlier tariff can automatically apply to the newer facility without a valid legal basis or fresh approval.“How can a tariff formulated in 2018 for floating hotels be applied to us? Why cannot our jetty be repaired, as other jetties have been recently?” asked YOWA joint secretary Chetan Rane. He said yacht owners were willing to pay legitimate charges but wanted rational rates comparable with those for catamarans, so private operators could continue serving Indian and foreign tourists affordably. According to Rane, an average minimum tariff per passenger for a speedboat is Rs 500-600 and if Rs 90-100 in fees is given to MbPA, it will eat away the profit margins and eventually force them to pass it on to tourists.
