Taraporewala Aquarium ‘unsafe’, fisheries dept shifts to Nariman Point

Mumbai's state fisheries department has moved its headquarters from the Taraporewala Aquarium to Mittal Tower due to concerns over the weakened foundations of the iconic building caused by ongoing work on the Coastal Road project. There are currently no plans to revive the building for tourism or administrative purposes. The future of the building, including whether it will be torn down or restored, is yet to be decided.

Mumbai: The headquarters of the state fisheries department has been shifted from the 70-year-old Taraporewala Aquarium on Marine Drive to Mittal Tower in Nariman Point, opposite Mantralaya. It is being speculated that the move comes as the ongoing work for the Coastal Road project is said to have weakened the foundations of the iconic building.

HT Image

At least two executive engineers in the fisheries department, and a senior official in the state animal husbandry ministry, confirmed to Hindustan Times that the aquarium building is no longer safe for habitation, and that there are presently no plans to revive the building for either tourism or administrative purposes.

It has been speculated that it’s not just the ongoing work for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Coastal Road project, but the expected heavy vehicular movement on the road once it opens later this year will put the structure in an even more precarious position.

This comes just eight years after the iconic aquarium reopened its doors after a two-year hiatus in 2015, on the heels of a ₹22 crore facelift. The facility has been closed to the public since the Covid-induced lockdown in March 2020.

A senior official in the animal husbandry ministry, seeking anonymity, said, “The Public Works Department (PWD) has recently done a structural audit of the building, and it was ruled that Taraporewala Aquarium is not suited for habitation.

“The state cabinet has to decide what to do with the building now. At present, no such policy decision has been taken on its future, whether it will be torn down or restored. The fisheries department has been shifted to Nariman Point keeping in mind the safety of the staff,” added the official.

The official declined to comment on whether ongoing Coastal Road work has destablised the structure in any way.

The Taraporewala Aquarium was inaugurated in 1951 and named after noted Parsi philanthropist D.B Taraporewala. The fisheries department, which owns the land on which the aquarium stands, last year, had floated a global tender seeking qualified parties to modify the design of the building and maintain a state-of-the-art aquarium on a public-private-partnership model.

However, the idea has since been put on the backburner after the tender failed to elicit any bids.

An executive engineer with the fisheries department, also not wanting to be named, told HT, “We have been working out of Mittal Tower since July 8. We have no idea when we will be relocated back to Marine Drive.

“I have not seen the structural audit report, but the vibrations from the Coastal Road could be felt in the commissioner’s building, which is behind the aquarium. The staff has only been told that the building is unsafe, therefore we have been moved.”