Rs5-cr makeover for Mumbai’s Kamala Nehru Park, Hanging Garden

The make the gardens more visitor-friendly, the BMC will construct a foot-overbridge that will connect them.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to spruce up Hanging Garden, now known as Pherozeshah Mehta Garden, along with the adjoining Kamala Nehru Park in south Mumbai as part of its beautification project, said officials.

The civic body also has plans to add more colour to beautify the iconic Old Lady’s Shoe. (HT FILE PHOTO)

The BMC is likely to start work on the beautification project by December-end or early next year and will spend around Rs5 crore on it, said officials.

A senior civic official said, “A proposal has been sent to the standing committee. Once the proposal is approved, work orders will be issued. We aim to start the work latest by January.”

The make the gardens more visitor-friendly, the BMC will construct a foot-overbridge that will connect them. This will help citizens visit both the gardens without having to cross the path for vehicular traffic. The civic body also has plans to add more colour to beautify the iconic Old Lady’s Shoe.

The 408-metre stretch of the Kamala Nehru Park (the Girgaum-chowpatty-end) will be transformed into a viewing gallery, where citizens can enjoy a soothing view from the edge of the garden.

The garden will have a gazebo for artistes to perform along with a canopy walkway. It will also set up various themed gardens and an amphitheater. The existing fountain will make way for a lily pond and a fish pond.

The shrubs at the garden will also be clipped or trimmed into shapes of animals, as part of the project. The artistic creations will be planted in a setting to resemble that particular animal’s natural habitat. For instance, a shrub clipped to resemble a camel will have a sand setting, whereas a shrub trimmed to resemble an elephant will have a green setting.

The civic body will also install theme-based drinking water fountains. There will also be a tricolour floral arrangement at the base of the Ashoka Pillar, according to the plan.