The 1.5 Km stretch of Walkeshwar Road from Chowpatty (Bandstand) to Teen Batti has great potentiality to provide two of the most scenic and unique spots for Mumbai Citizens.
As illustrated in plan, this stretch of road can be divided into two parts:
Part-1: The stretch from Chowpatty (bandstand) to Fionica bldg. (Opp. Sheetal Baug presently being developed by Lodha Developer). This is about 550 to 600 meters long.
Part-2: The Stretch from entry to the Raj Bhavan Road from Walkeshwar Road to Teen Batti. This is also about 550 to 600 metres long. It has a 5′-0” high compound wall erected in late eighties as a security measure for Raj Bhavan and this compound wall has obstructed the view – earlier there was iron grill which provided the beautiful sea view while driving along the road.
These 2 stretches of road have no development on the left side of the road, and it commands beautiful views of Arabian sea along with Queen’s necklace and also far away vista of Cuffe parade and Colaba is also clearly visible.
a) In this article we shall cover the first part of road from Chowpatty Bandstand to Fionica bldg. (In subsequent issue we shall cover part II). Presently the width of road in this stretch is 17 metres. It is proposed in the development plan to be widened to 27 mts as shown in the plan. The large part of widening of 10 metres is proposed on left side i.e on seaside. The widening is actually badly required to be carried out to accommodate heavy traffic and provide for footpath as there is hardly 1 mt, wide footpath at present causing great deal of inconvenience for pedestrians. As the widening of road on seaside is only possible by constructing a deck above the seabed, it is suggested to construct a total deck with width of about 25 mts which could be utilized not only to include the road widening but also include promenade and provide additional 6 meters for parking for about 200 vehicles.
b) 10 Meters Wide Promenade: – similar to Marine Drive. This promenade will be very popular for the residents of Malabar Hill area and the provision for 200 Nos. of vehicles for parking will be an added advantage as presently the Marine Drive promenade has no such facility available. It has even more enchanting views and covers wider vista as compared to Marine Drive. Just last year a viewing gallery has been constructed touching the bandstand end of road and the same has been very popular. This promenade actually will be the starting point from this gallery. It will have a gradual gradient rising from 10′-0” to almost 25′-0” height and will have lot of aesthetic appeal due to gradual rise in height. The total deck area will be about 14000 Sq. mts to 15000 sq mts including parking area. It will facilitate Malabar Hill residents to avoid going to Marine Drive for a walk and as this will be closer and will have more aesthetic appeal. The total cost of the project can be arrived at after detailed working but can be estimated between Rs 40 to 45 crores. In any case the widening of Walkeshwar road as proposed in the development plan is a prime necessity considering the congestion and ever-increasing vehicular traffic. There are numbers of high-rise towers under construction on the right-hand side of the Walkeshwar Road. This will create more congestion as there will be more traffic due to addition of many more vehicles. This parking facility will also provide good source of income, and it will be popular for all hours of day for parking by morning walkers, evening walkers and during nighttime as well by residents in the vicinity as presently most of the building residents in vicinity are short of parking facilities. It will also reduce congestion on the road.
It is suggested that Malabar Hill residents should form a working group especially of prominent residents for required follow up for the project. A project of this nature can only take shape if the prominent citizen of Malabar will come forward and form a working group to take proposal forward.
The active involvement and participation of ‘D’ Ward Municipal Councillors, Local MLA representing Malabar Hill Constituency and MP including Magal Prabhat Lodha who is a guardian minister in Maharashtra cabinet for Mumbai will be also be necessary and helpful. They can all come together push the proposal at Municipal and State Govt. level.
The response of readers is most welcome.
Email: jashwant@theemerald.com/mehtagroup@theemerald.com
Shri Jashwant Mehta, resident and proposer of this plan is an Architect and Consulting Engineer by profession, holding post- graduate degree in Civil Engineering from USA. He has also been active in the real estate, construction and hospitality industries. He has published several papers and articles in Civil Engineering, and Town Planning. His book on High-Rise Buildings was the first book on the subject in India.
He has presented papers and chaired sessions in World Congress on Tall Buildings held at Paris (1979), Chicago (1985), and Amsterdam (1993) and also in International Conference in Mumbai (2011). He is a recipient of the Gold Medal awarded by the Institution of Valuers. He represented India in the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat during 1988-2002. He was also on the Managing Committee of Practicing Engineers Architects and Town Planners Association (India) (PEATA) during 1983-1992.
