BMC panel approves Rs 38-crore six-storey House building near Azad Maidan

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will get a new six-storey House building close to Azad Maidan, after its standing committee cleared the proposal unanimously. The project is estimated to cost about Rs 38 crore, and the civic administration wants it ready within two to two and a half years of work beginning.

The structure will replace the old, dilapidated Krida Bhavan, which stands opposite the BMC headquarters near the Azad Maidan entrance. The committee took up the proposal after a gap of several months. It is also the first proposal since the committee was reconstituted to be backed by both the ruling side and the Opposition.

The need for the building comes from the crowding in the present council hall. Elected members, civic officials and journalists cannot all be seated comfortably during meetings, and this regularly causes difficulty. The corporation now has 227 elected corporators and provision for 10 nominated members, a total of 237. Ward boundaries may change and the population keeps growing, so the number of corporators could go up. The new House has therefore been planned for as many as 330 members. Leader of the House Ganesh Khankar said the facility will have full seating arrangements for public representatives.

The building will stand on about 900 square metres, and each floor has been given its own purpose. The ground floor will provide parking for about 60 vehicles. The first and second floors will hold podium-related facilities. A gym for BMC employees is planned on the third floor, while the fourth will house the offices of the Mayor, the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition. The fifth and sixth floors will together form a modern auditorium with theatre-style seating, modelled on the state legislature. A separate gallery will be set aside for journalists, and the hall will carry the modern technical facilities needed to conduct civic meetings.

The plan has changed since it was first drawn up. Because Krida Bhavan was in poor condition, the administration first proposed a town hall and gymkhana on the plot. That proposal reached the standing committee in March, but ruling party members said the information in it was incomplete, and it was returned to the administration. The administration then revised its plan and decided to build the new House on the same site.

The contractor chosen for the original proposal is reportedly to be given the revised project at the same contract amount. Once finished, the building is expected to give BMC proceedings more room and a modern setting, and to meet the growing need for seating and administrative space.