The Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) has turned down the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Rs434-crore modernisation plan of the Byculla zoo. The panel has asked the civic body to rework its proposal as it is not sure if the character of the botanical garden (Victoria garden) inside the zoo will be retained in the proposed layout.
“We have asked the BMC to rework on the proposal as we fear that the large-scale changes would endanger the green cover in the zoo. The character of the botanical garden has not been maintained and achieved in the proposed layout plan,” said Dinesh Afzalpurkar, chairman, MHCC.
According to a civic body source, the conservation committee took objection to the plan after it saw the erroneous calculations made by the consultants — the Thailand-based HKS Designers and Consultancy. “The consultants had presented their calculations of the plan to municipal commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya, where it was shown that the garden area would increase for the public.
However, when the MHCC members went through the plan, it was observed that the garden area in fact was not increased,” said the source.
MHCC members also expressed their apprehension that after the revamp entrance fee of the zoo would be increased. “Since the pathway linkages and width of pathways were reduced, the issue of crowd management during holidays should have been considered in the plan, the members felt” said the source.
The Save Ranibagh Botanical Garden Action Committee has praised the MHCC action. “It is a welcome move as the heritage panel has forcefully talked about the botanical garden. The immediate corollary is that they must protect the geographical area of the botanical garden which is 63 per cent,” said Hutoxi Rustomfram, member of the action committee.
The MHCC had repeatedly said in the past that in the wake of any revamp, the character of the botanical garden should be retained along with the grandeur of heritage structures like Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Clock Tower and Trifle Arch.
