South Mumbai's Fashion Street to get a makeover

Despite being christened Fashion Street, this popular stretch in south Mumbai's Fort area is an eyesore with haphazardly placed hawkers, parked water tankers, municipal chowkies and other illegal structures.

But in the next three months, the BMC will be giving this stretch on Mahatma Gandhi Marg a major facelift. The civic body has a beautification plan in mind for the stretch between the Metro cinema and Bombay Gymkhana road to ensure better pedestrian facilities and preservation of the grade I listed open spaces — the Azad maidan and Cross maidan on either side of the road.

The BMC will also restore the heritage 'Fitzgerald Lamp and Fountain ensemble' -- which was initially located at Metro junction, but has been lying at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad museum in Byculla for several years -- to its original location.

The plan has already got the green signal from municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte and the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) since the area is part of the listed Fort heritage precinct, said a senior civic official.

Vasant Prabhu, deputy municipal commissioner of zone I, confirmed the news, saying, "Only 38 per cent of the open spaces are currently visible from the road. The encroachments are not only obstructing the view of the maidan, but also creating a nuisance for pedestrians."

According to civic officials, at the Cross Maidan side of Fashion Street, there are 323 hawkers placed haphazardly. "Structures of the traffic police department, BEST chowky and other unauthorised structures have occupied large portions of the footpath, blocking the view of the maidan and forcing pedestrians to walk on the road," a senior official associated with the project said.

The official added that on the Azad Maidan side, municipal chowkies occupying large portions of the footpath was concerning. "Several private water tankers encroach on the footpath, damaging it and making it wet and filthy. The visitor parking area of the Bombay Gymkhana has also occupied a substantial portion of the footpath," he said.

The revamp plan also comprises making the footpaths disabled-friendly. The BMC will remove the enclosed Godrej Pavilion garden on the footpath, so the entire footpath can be accessed by pedestrians.

"A decision on the Bombay Gymkhana parking area will soon be taken by the municipal commissioner. The organisation was given an extension to continue with the parking space till September," the official said.

The BMC will also reorganise parking. The stretch between Chafekar Bandu Chowk and BEST chowky is used for parking. "This is obstructing one lane completely," the official said, adding that the alignment of the vendor stalls on the Fashion Street will be changed and they will now be facing each other instead of being in a single file.