Mumbai: Heritage body wants a glass act for Metro 3 entrance

The authorities want the Metro exit points to be modeled on the BMC's glass subway, which offers a clear view of the CSMT.

Only by using glass will the Metro authorities get the all-clear to build the DN Road Metro station. In order to ensure that nothing blocks the view of the iconic buildings along the Heritage Mile, the Heritage Committee will soon write to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) to install a glass facade for the entry and exit points to the proposed Metro III station.

Dadabhai Naoroji Road has some of Mumbai's most iconic buildings, and the Heritage Committee wants to ensure that the DN Road Metro station won't mar the beauty of these structures. While Metro III (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz) is completely underground, the station's entrance will emerge right in the middle of the heritage precinct.

The BMC recently renovated the CSMT subway, giving it a glass facade at the entrance. Pics/Bipin Kokate

Do it like BMC
The authority wants the station's entry and exit points to be modeled on the BMC's newly revamped subway to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). The subway's glass facade is subtle enough to not be an eyesore among all the heritage buildings and it also offers commuters a clear view of the CSMT - a UNESCO-listed
World Heritage Site.

A senior civic official said, "We will soon be writing to the MMRC about the changes we want to see in the design, which will be visible to every citizen travelling on DN Road.

As the civic body has already developed the aesthetics of the area, the Metro entry and exit points should add to the uniformity in that space."

MMRC will likely agree
In the committee's last two meetings, it was discussed that the Metro station's design should be in line with that of the other structures in the area. While the idea is yet to be officially communicated, sources who were at the meeting said that Metro representatives did not object to the plan, as it was conveyed to them in advance and the changes are feasible.

Earlier, when the permissions were issued for the underground construction of Metro III, the MMRC had submitted a proposal of eight entry and exit points to the DN Road station. "Although the station will be completely underground, as a precautionary measure, we had insisted on the requirement of the heritage body's permission whenever a structure is to be built on the surface," added the official.

Despite repeated attempts to contact Ramanath Jha, chairman of the Heritage Committee, he remained unavailable for comment.

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