BMC to display a tram, that harks back to 1964, as a heritage tourist attraction in Bhatia Baug, outside CSMT
Representation Pic
Before buses came along, trams were an important aspect of public transportation in Mumbai. Hoping to offer a glimpse of the city's history to the tourists, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to install a tram, as well as the original tracks, in the Bhatia Baug garden located next to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Fort.
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The plan is part of BMC's efforts of beautifying the area around CSMT, an iconic heritage structure. In Mumbai, trams were functional for around 90 years and were introduced on May 9 in 1874. The trams first started ferrying passengers in Kolkata a year earlier and currently, it is the only city in the country where trams are still functional.
While the trams that were once functional in Mumbai were sent to the scrapyard after they were taken off the city's roads on March 31 in 1964, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) department has one tram at the BEST bus museum in Sion.
The tram, however, will need to be repaired and reconstructed before it can be put up for display. "The tram was sent from Kolkata as a present to the then-general manager Manmohan Singh at a price of R1. But it wasn't maintained properly and left outside the building. Due to prolonged exposure to the rains, the structure gradually collapsed. It is not in a condition to run but it can be set up on display," said a BEST official.
He added that the steel structure and engine, however, are still intact. "We have diagrams of the structures, which can be used to repair it," he said. He added that the tram was last used in the movie, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, released in 2000. It was taken to Film City in Goregaon for the film shooting.
Civic officials said that putting the tram on display would promote the heritage of the city and be another attraction especially for foreign tourists who are drawn to the heritage structures in Fort area. Lauding the idea, municipal commissioner, Ajoy Mehta said that the BMC is keenly looking into it.
Officials of A Ward will approach the BEST and the heritage committee next week for approvals. "We are planning to construct a raised platform and the tram will be placed on it along with the original tram tracks that have been retrieved during road work," said Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner of A ward.
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