Mumbai: Restoration of Gateway of India on BMC's mind

BMC plans to revamp the surroundings of the Gateway of India with the aim to attract more tourists. File pic/Suresh Karkera

Besides clearing all visual obstructions near the Gateway of India, the BMC's plan now also includes restoration of the monument. A presentation on the plan was made before Minister Aaditya Thackeray, who is working to uplift the city's tourism, on Monday.

BMC also wants to beautify the entrance to the monument. File pic/Suresh Karkera

Beautify entrance
The BMC wants to restore the Gateway of India and revamp its surroundings so that the monument is visible from afar. mid-day was first to report about this on January 11. The civic body had proposed to remove the heavy barricading at the entrance and replace it with something that would be in accordance with the beauty of the monument.

Consultant on drafting job
Refurbishing visitors' and security blocks along with illumination and landscaping are also part of the plan. The presentation also showed how the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statue could also be viewed even from quite a distance.

A consultant, who is drafting the plan for the BMC, made a revised proposal for an underground basement, but the BMC maintained that it would get flooded and there was also a security concern, said sources. They might consider underground construction in the later stage, they added.

"The plan will include restoration of the Gateway of India which will be done under the state Archaeology department and also improve the vista of the monument, and the main aim is to make it tourist friendly and attract more visitors," a civic official who attended the meeting told mid-day on condition of anonymity.