Work order issued for restoration of Banganga Tank precinct: BMC to HC

BMC informed the Bombay HC of work order issuance for Banganga tank restoration, clearing encroachments and transferring funds for construction projects.

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday told the Bombay high court that it had issued the work order for restoration of the Banganga tank precinct on January 28. In an affidavit filed before the court in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking conservation of the Banganga tank, the civic body said it had cleared all encroachments at the grade I heritage site and it would be restored and rejuvenated in a phased manner.

Work order issued for restoration of Banganga Tank precinct: BMC to HC

The BMC said in the affidavit that it was in the process of transferring funds for construction of a retaining wall between the tank and the Arabian Sea to the harbour engineering department under the public works department. A tender had also been floated for fixing a valve to control the outflow of water from the tank, and approval had been sought for both the retaining wall and the valve, the civic body said.

The Banganga tank, a private property managed by the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin Temple Trust, was infested with rampant encroachment, which was cleared by the BMC at the behest of the trust, the affidavit noted. A meeting was held in 2023 wherein the trust asked the civic body to clear the encroachments, after which BMC issued notices to encroachers on the steps of Banganga tank and directed them to produce necessary documents proving their eligibility for rehabilitation as per the state government policy dated May 16, 2015. Subsequently, the encroachments were razed and the site was freed from encumbrances.

The affidavit further said that 13 occupiers of encroached structures were found eligible for alternate accommodation in ongoing slum rehabilitation projects in Malabar Hills or in the vicinity of Banganga tank. Accordingly, the BMC requested the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) to accommodate Banganga evictees in its ongoing projects. On August 8, 2023, the SRA allowed Codcons Infra to accommodate 116 hutments for the Banganga restoration project affected people in their ongoing SRA project in Malabar Hills.