FM announces makeover for Mantralaya precinct

A few days ago, architect P K Das made a presentation on the makeover to the state cabinet. Chief minister Eknath Shinde was of the view that more opinions were needed and global tenders should be called for better options. The state government will now do so

MUMBAI: The Mantralaya precinct at Nariman Point, which includes the Mantralaya building, the new administrative building and state legislature building Vidhan Bhavan, are set to be redeveloped on the lines of Central Vista in New Delhi. Vidhan Bhavan and the administrative building will be demolished and built afresh, as was announced by finance minister Ajit Pawar in the interim budget.

Mumbai, India - Jan. 22, 2024: Mantralaya illuminated in tri colour, on occasion of Lord Shri Ram Temple inauguration by PM Narendra Modi at Ayodhya, at Malabar Hills in Mumbai, India, on Monday, January 22, 2024. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

A few days ago, architect P K Das made a presentation on the makeover to the state cabinet. Chief minister Eknath Shinde was of the view that more opinions were needed and global tenders should be called for better options. The state government will now do so.

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said that in 2026, the number of MLAs and MLCs would also increase after delimitation, and therefore the seating capacity of both houses of the state legislature would have to be increased. “During the Covid-19 pandemic, some legislators were told to sit in the galleries to maintain social distancing,” he said. “When members increase, more space will be needed and situations like legislators having insufficient space can be avoided.”

However, the major hurdle in the makeover is that the Mantralaya area falls within the Art Deco precinct and, consequently, there are height restrictions. Some years ago, the grand staircase outside Mantralaya had to be removed; one of the objectors was the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee which said it was an eyesore that violated art deco norms. The PWD could not construct a 20-storey tower in Mantralaya annexe on the same grounds.

Pawar, however, claimed that there were no restrictions, and the government was carrying out a makeover of the Manora MLAs hostel at Nariman Point too. Sources in the bureaucracy maintained that the Art Deco rules could be modified.

Vidhan Bhavan was constructed in the 1980s and several ledges of its administrative building were falling off till recently before they were repaired by the PWD.

The Mantralaya area makeover plan was drawn in 2011 by Das and was pushed by then chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad. The plan encompassed the demolition of all the ministerial bungalows on Madame Cama Road (which were constructed on a plot reserved for a public garden). After a major inferno destroyed three storeys of Mantralaya in 2012, the then Congress government decided to repair Mantralaya instead of building new towers. Pawar said that the bungalows would be pulled down and towers for ministers and IAS officers would come up here.

Many government offices are functioning from rented premises. Four departments of the state government—public health, medical education, rural development and water supply and sanitation—are still functioning from GT Hospital and Bandhkam Bhavan after the Mantralaya fire. The state has also decided to buy the Air India headquarters for ₹1,600 crore to accommodate all the offices.