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Gateway’s got a swank new look
The Gateway of India, a must-see historic monument on every tourist’s itinerary and a favourite waterfront of Mumbaiites, now sports a beautified plaza with basic amenities.
The Gateway of India, a must-see historic monument on every tourist’s itinerary and a favourite waterfront of Mumbaiites, now sports a beautified plaza with basic amenities.
The plaza replaces the huge barricaded garden that choked movement around the monument, a parking lot opposite hotel Taj, ticket kiosks for ferry services and the food stalls that added to the chaos.
After overcoming all objections — from axing of trees to setting up public toilets — Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated the plaza around the Gateway of India on Wednesday.
The Rs 6-crore redesigned zone is a sprawling open space where tourists can sit and enjoy the historic monument, the sea, and the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
The food stalls and parking lots have been shifted to a sunken court at the rear end of the garden separated by a concave wall.
The new amenities include:
An expanded plaza spread over an area of thousands of meters. The square has been made free of disparate structures and unplanned activities.
A barricade-free garden with seating arrangement provides a clear view of the historic structure and the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji that was earlier barricaded. The statue has now been placed on a podium in a garden.
The Wittet fountain, named after the architect of the Gateway, has also been restored.
Basic amenities like toilets and drinking water earlier located at the traffic-end and near the shore, have now been set up behind the garden separated by a concave wall.
Ticket kiosks for ferry operators have been shifted to the sunken court behind the garden.
Parking for tourist buses has been allotted behind the garden and on its right side.
Effect lighting has been given to the plaza to make the place worth visiting even at night.
