Suburban museum has to wait

Sandeep Ashar

A patch of land in Juhu that was to house the suburban extension of the Prince of Wales Museum and a botanical garden will make way for a pumping station.

In order to provide a storm water pumping station at the outfall of the Irla nullah, the civic body has decided to change the user status of a 57,978 sq m space in Juhu village.
Close to 14,000 sq m of the plot, located in coastal regulatory zone, was earmarked for a museum and another 16,000 sq m for a botanical garden.

But with providing flood relief becoming the utmost priority of the civic body after the 26/7 floods, it has now decided to relocate the museum and the garden.

Civic officials said as the land fell in CRZ zone, construction in only 10 per cent area was permissible.