Steering away from controversies surrounding it since it was proposed two years ago, the Gateway of India beautification project is finally set to begin by mid-March.
Gateway Beautification plan set to roll by mid-March
Steering away from controversies surrounding it since it was proposed two years ago, the Gateway of India beautification project is finally set to begin by mid-March.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s standing committee cleared the controversial plan on Wednesday even as a handful of members raised doubts about the availability of parking space. The parking area around the monument and its precinct will cease to exist as per the plan.
PK Das, the architect appointed by the Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) for the project, told DNA that a traffic study conducted by experts has revealed that most vehicles coming to gateway are Taj-bound and tourist buses form a minuscule segment of vehicular traffic in this area.
“The Taj hotel is misusing its allotted basement parking space and using it for commercial purposes. This in turn has created chaos in the area. In any case, the beautification plan will not cater to the private and commercial establishment,” said Das.
The architect, however, refused to divulge further details about the study and said that traffic in any case is not part of the first phase and a proposed underground parking by the BMC at the Regal theatre will address the woes triggered thereafter.
However, Joint commissioner of police (traffic), Satish Mathur said that he is not aware of any such traffic study. Mathur added that the Taj is no longer using its basement for commercial purpose.
“I am not aware of any study or the plan. No doubt about the fact that the traffic coming toward the monument is due to commercial establishments like Taj but the civic authorities have assured us that the Taj is no longer using the basement for commercial purposes. In fact, we have limited the vehicular entry near the monument.”
The Rs4.58 crore first-phase of the plan will begin in the second week of March and will be completed in the ensuing nine months. “A contractor has already been appointed and we are just waiting for the final formalities to be cleared by the BMC”, added Das.
Mired in controversies in the past, the plan will be completed in three phases. In the first phase, the beautification of the gateway plaza and its precinct will be completed, the second phase will look into the traffic situation and the roads leading to the monument, the third and final phase proposes setting of several handicraft shops on the roads leading to the gateway.
Earlier, the members of the standing committee passed the plan with a majority vote keeping aside the objection raised a small faction. “The committee passed the plan under pressure from the contractor, planner and architect. The plan clearly does not address the parking problem,” said Mohaseen Haider, of the Samajwadi Party (SP).
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