Mumbai: Former BJP Corporator, Makarand Narwekar has written to municipal commissioner, Bhushan Gagrani about undeclared and unexplained stay on public utility works worth ₹60 crores at Regal junction. This is his third such letter about stay and stalling of files by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials. Regal junction is the third such project in the vicinity to face a stay after Kala Ghoda and Colaba causeway.
Regal junction was to get an underground parking with a viewing deck over it. Speaking about the project, Narwekar said, “Currently around 50 cars are parked in an open space diagonally opposite to Regal cinema. With an aim to improve tourist footfall in the area we planned to take the parking underground and make a viewing deck over it. Around 150 cars/bikes were supposed to be parked in underground parking, but the BMC seems to have other plans.”
Divulging details about improvement in and around Colaba, Narwekar added, “After making Kala Ghoda pedestrian friendly and adding new carts on Causeway we were planning to add another tourist destination in Colaba. As of today, all the tourist movement happens towards the Gateway of India because there is nothing else to see. With a viewing deck at the centre of the Regal junction, one could enjoy an unobstructed view of the state’s DG office, Regal Cinema, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalay, the National Gallery of Modern Art, and other structures around it.”
Former BJP Corporator Expresses Dissatisfaction
Expressing dissatisfaction with such stays, Narwekar said, “After we planned this project and prepared its designs, traffic police assessed the feasibility of this plan and gave a No Objection Certificate (NOC). The Heritage Committee also gave a go-ahead for this plan. All this process took a year. If suddenly, BMC stays on such projects after sanctioning funds for it what should we do? We are answerable to the public? Is politics a priority for the BMC over people’s convenience? “
Asking BMC to respond, Narwekar wrote in his letter, “Should there be any recommendations or operational hurdles pertaining to the proposed scheme, I kindly request that they be conveyed to us in writing. The approval and funding allocation for these projects have been finalized, and the community eagerly awaits the initiation of these crucial initiatives.”
