Namaskar,

More no brainer glass and steel monstrocities to be dumped on Mumabi

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/15/2011063020110630035845984fd17802a/Poor-d'mello-set-to-become-posh-d'mello.html

When the World is going back to retain, restore, rehabilitate its old heritage structures, here we have all the old is gold buildings being torn down to come up with stereotypical, me too, anywhere look, non descript glass and steel monstrocities, thinking they are what the World looks up to.

Take a look at similar redevelopments

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HarbourFront

http://www.navypier.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrepid_Sea-Air-Space_Museum

http://www.pier39.com/index.cfm

None of them demolished buildings to come up with such self styled iconic structures, remember MMRDA's Wadala Tower.

Instead. they rehabilitated, renovated, and reused the old buildings with truly imagiinative and innovative facilities.

In the area they are talking about, there are any number of historic buildings, all waiting to be be resurrected.

The Cotton Exchange.

The Indian Air Force Station.

The Kala Chowkie Police Chowkie.

The Cotton Green godowns.

The erstwhile goods warehouses.

Even the residential quarters.

With that, the local residents will also not be dis housed nor relocated.

In fact it would benefit the City, as well.

Imagine the consulates in individual buildings which also look the part of that history.

And imagine the faceless buildings like in the Bandra Kurla Complex which is now the face of faceless Mumbai.

The new airport coming up at Sahar is also as faceless as Mumbai.

Just imagine if the international airport at Sahar gave the impression of landing in Maharashtra, maybe stone, maybe fortress like, maybe even like the Gateway.

Instead, glass, steel, space frame.

Faceless metro rail stations.

Faceless Churchgate revamp leaving the staff inside cut off from natural ventilation and light, then increase energy consumption for air conditioning, and lighting.

Faceless and thoughtless Borivali station East revamp, shiny, slippery granite flooring forcing people walk very carefully in rains and even in dry seasons.

Meanwhile traffic outside totally unregulated, uncontrolled, indisciplined, ill disciplined.

What the heck is happening.

To ruin Mumbai, let MMRDA, MSRDC, MCGM, MTP, and other such agencies like GVR, MMOPL, take on the work.

To save Mumbai, improve it, let concerned well wishing Citizens do it.

Jagdeep DESAI

Secretary

Founder Trustee

Forum for Improving Quality of Life in Mumbai Suburbs

www.forum4iqolms.org

>>>

Cover Story

Poor d'mello set to become posh d'mello

The largest south Mumbai makeover - the road now flanked by rundown godowns and cheap hotels to have iconic buildings housing consulates and art & culture hubs

Yogesh Naik

Posted On Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 03:58:38 AM

P D'mello Road, which connects Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum in the south to Kaala Chowkie in Parel in the north, is set for a makeover that could transform it from one of Mumbai's most ignored roads to possibly its plushest.

State government's think tank on urban regeneration -- Mumbai Transformation Support Unit -- has drawn up a plan to not only widen the road and connect it to the under-construction Eastern Freeway through an elevated road, but also flank it with plush buildings that could house consulates, convention centres and art and culture arcades.

P D'mello Road, under the new plan (see graphic above), will be widened and connected to the Eastern Freeway by a flyover

At present, P D'mello Road mostly has run-down godowns on one side and cheap hotels and restaurants on the other. The good news is that the Mumbai Port Trust, that owns most of the land on both sides of road and has for many years resisted all attempts to use it to unclog south Mumbai, is on board this time.

Shipping secretary K Mohandas met Chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad recently and gave his go ahead to the new plan with a caveat that the Port Trust's ownership of the land must remain unchanged.

While the widened road in the new design with its three-metre median, wide walkways and greenery all around looks stunning, the centre piece of the new plan is a multi-storeyed building which will have an arm of the elevated road running through it. Quite aptly, it's been christened Gateway Tower.

An artist's impression of the proposed Gateway Tower, that will house consulates on P D'mello Road

A committee headed by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority commissioner Rahul Asthana, who was until recently Port Trust's chairman, is the brain behind the P D'mello Road makeover plan.

The new plan was discussed at a meeting of the state's Empowered Committee about two weeks back in Mantralaya.

As part of the revamp plan, the godowns will be razed, and the road will be widened from 90 ft to 120 ft.

Plans are also afoot to construct an elevated road from St George's hospital up to Wadi Bunder (near Railway Police Commissioner's office).

Close to the point that the elevated road ends will begin the eastern freeway which extends up to Chembur.

Mid-way, near Masjid Bunder overbridge, the elevated road will have a diversion towards Crawford Market.

A map charting the path along which the elevated road is proposed to come up

Most neglected road

The P D'Mello Road was one of the neglected patches in the city until few years ago. With several shanties along the road, motorists dreaded driving down this road.

The state rehabilitated the slumdwellers under the slum rehabilitation project. However, godowns of the Mumbai Port Trust on this road have become a hub for anti-social elements.

"At their recent meeting held a few months ago, the state Chief Secretary and Union Shipping Secretary decided to explore the possibility of exploiting Port Trust land," said a senior Mumbai Port Trust official (MbPT). "For the first time, the Shipping Ministry has given an in-principle nod for the same."

Consulate hub

The estimated cost of the entire project is still to be worked out. Some commercial and residential development is also being planned to generate revenue for Mumbai Port Trust and for the financing of the project.

MbPT's additional chief engineer Mohan Patwardhan said that after getting the go-ahead, they were working out the modalities.

The Dockyard railway station on the harbour corridor of the Central Railway, which is close to P D'Mello Road, is also a part of the makeover. The Mumbai Transformation Support Unit (MTSU), the state government's think-tank for Mumbai Makeover, has been assigned the task of drawing up the plan.

The road dotted with slums which have now been razed

"Consulates in Mumbai are scattered. A few consul-generals even operate from their residences. The proposed Gateway Tower can be Mumbai's answer to Delhi's Chanakyapuri that houses consulates," said an MTSU official. "The elevated road will also pass through the Gateway Tower. One arm of the elevated road will proceed towards Crawford Market."

The state Urban Development Department is, however, opposed to usage of this land for housing purposes. "Allowing housing projects can lead to a mess. We are against giving the port land for housing purposes. They can utilise it for commercial purpose and get more revenue," said a senior official of the state Urban Development Department.

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