Soon, you can check-in to BMC stays at Tansa, Vihar

You may soon be able to stay at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-owned guest houses near Tansa, Modak Sagar and Vihar lakes. In a bid to boost tourism

You may soon be able to stay at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-owned guest houses near Tansa, Modak Sagar and Vihar lakes. In a bid to boost tourism and the local economy, the BMC has decided to rent out its guest houses at these dams, which were until now only used by state officials or guests of the government, to tourists.

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Each of the seven lakes supplying water to the city — Tulsi, Vihar, Bhatsa, Tansa, Middle Vaitarna, Upper Vaitarna and Modak Sagar — has a dam. While the BMC owns guest houses at Tansa, Modak Sagar and Vihar dams, state-owned guest houses are situated at Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna.

BMC officials said the idea of renting out the three guest houses to tourists has been discussed with the civic chief, but details like tariff and opening dates are yet to be worked out. Praveen Darade, additional municipal commissioner, said, “The guest houses are not used much and we plan to have them opened for citizens. The modalities are to be worked out yet, but this is being done to not only boost tourism, but also the local economy around the villages where the dams are located.”

According to the initial plan, the guest houses at Tansa and Modak Sagar dams in Thane district will be opened up in the coming months. The guest house near Vihar dam inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park will require some repairs before it can be opened to the public. As the guest houses at Bhatsa and Upper Vaitarna are owned by the state, the BMC cannot rent them out.

However, BMC officials are apprehensive about issues that may arise owing to tourists’ access to these dams and their surroundings. “The dams are located in serene locations as there is not much footfall. Once tourists start coming, several restrictions have to be imposed when it comes to movement around the guest house as the dams supply water to lakhs of Mumbaiites, and security measures will have to be taken,” said an official. He added that they will have to look into issues like waste management once too. “These issues will be looked into and proper rules will have to be drafted.”

BMC officials also said they are contemplating tying up with private entities which deal with renting of villas, home-stays and hotels. An official said, “There are several online portals and travel firms that are into this business, and they will be more creative in doing this exercise. We might approach them, but nothing is finalised yet.”

Earlier this year, the state had taken a similar decision to open up guest houses at several dams, under the water resources department, to tourists. These included 146 rest houses, inspection bungalows, inspection huts and colonies at irrigation project sites. They will now be developed on a public private partnership (PPP) basis.