Mumbai: A week after raising concerns with the state archaeological department about changes to the Grade 1 heritage structure, Bandra Fort, concerned residents have now written to the BMC, objecting to the concretisation of the fort's garden area, which was inaugurated around a fortnight ago. The letter, signed by 80 people, urges the BMC to restore the garden to its original state by removing newly concretised areas and increasing plantation efforts.In response, the civic body has said that the project focused on improving underdeveloped sections of the garden and that more trees were added to the space to boost greenery.
"We were shocked to see the drastic reduction of greenery and the extensive concretisation work when the garden was recently opened to the public in the first week of Oct 2024, with restricted timings. The new design is completely unsustainable and anti-nature. We've observed several changes, including: The once green lawn was replaced with concrete tiles due to which the blazing heat of the sun is glaring to one's eyes...... ....concretising large areas which cost a whopping Rs 18.23 crores of taxpayers' money is absolutely unnecessary and a waste and misuse of funds," states the letter. Civic garden department officials clarified that no trees were felled during the garden revamp. "The existing pathways were uneven in parts, so we built a ramp to allow better access for the differently abled from the bottom to the top of the garden. We've also added greenery by planting palm trees at the base, ensuring a clear view of the sea from the amphitheatre, and vice versa. The use of granite and basalt stones may have given locals the impression that the space was overly concretised due to the shine," an official said.
Mumbai: A week after raising concerns with the state archaeological department about changes to the Grade 1 heritage structure, Bandra Fort, concerned residents have now written to the BMC, objecting to the concretisation of the fort's garden area, which was inaugurated around a fortnight ago. The letter, signed by 80 people, urges the BMC to restore the garden to its original state by removing newly concretised areas and increasing plantation efforts. In response, the civic body has said that the project focused on improving underdeveloped sections of the garden and that more trees were added to the space to boost greenery.
"We were shocked to see the drastic reduction of greenery and the extensive concretisation work when the garden was recently opened to the public in the first week of Oct 2024, with restricted timings. The new design is completely unsustainable and anti-nature. We've observed several changes, including: The once green lawn was replaced with concrete tiles due to which the blazing heat of the sun is glaring to one's eyes...... ....concretising large areas which cost a whopping Rs 18.23 crores of taxpayers' money is absolutely unnecessary and a waste and misuse of funds," states the letter. Civic garden department officials clarified that no trees were felled during the garden revamp. "The existing pathways were uneven in parts, so we built a ramp to allow better access for the differently abled from the bottom to the top of the garden. We've also added greenery by planting palm trees at the base, ensuring a clear view of the sea from the amphitheatre, and vice versa. The use of granite and basalt stones may have given locals the impression that the space was overly concretised due to the shine," an official said.