Mumbaikars will soon be able to get an exclusive view of south Mumbai and the Arabian sea from a viewing gallery coming up in Malabar Hill.
The first of its kind in Mumbai, the three-storied viewing gallery coming up opposite Kamala Nehru Park and next to Hanging Gardens will have a fully transparent glass elevator and a binocular set up to for visitors to have an exclusive bird's eye view of the island city. The gallery is expected to be ready by June 2018.
The BMC has already started the construction work for the gallery and floated a tender for appointing the contractor for installing the glass elevators and binocular.
Indrani Malkani from Malabar Hill Residents Association said, "The gallery is strategically located to give a beautiful view of Girgaum Chowpatty and the Queen's Necklace. It will not only be an attraction for tourists but excite locals too. We want its commissioning as soon as possible".
"We plan to open the gallery before monsoon so that people can enjoy the view. We have already started the construction work," said a civic official.
The gallery is being built on the plot where the BMC's Hydraulic Engineering Department has its control room to supply water in the area. A big portion of the plot was lying vacant where BMC had proposed to construct a viewing gallery in 2008. However, the plot was given on lease to a restaurant. The BMC then approached the court as the owner of the restaurant was not willing to vacate the plot even after the lease was over. The civic body recently won the case and the proposal for the viewing gallery moved ahead.
NEW TOURIST SPOT
- The gallery is set up on 2,000 sq ft area.
- It can accommodate 250 visitors at a time.
- The total cost of the project is Rs 8 crore.
- BMC proposed the viewing gallery in 2008.
- It is expected to be ready by June 2018.
