The Mahatma Phule Art Plaza, set up at Bund Garden heritage bridge, a Grade-1 heritage structure, has failed to receive a response from residents in the city.
The idea was to create an interactive space to showcase and encourage local art and craft, to use it for exhibitions and displays of art, photography, landscaping, demonstrations and awareness programmes. However, beyond morning walkers and joggers from Yerawada and Koregaon park, the art plaza is lying vacant and unused.
The art plaza was built in 2016 to preserve the heritage bridge under the Heritage sites mission of the Pune municipal corporation (PMC).
According to Harshada Shinde, head of the heritage department of the PMC, “We have not got any response from artists or cultural performers. The idea was to protect this Grade-I heritage structure, which was built in 1867 by the British. At 250 metres in length and sox metres in width, it was initially used by vehicles, but later preserved with the idea of creating an interactive space to showcase and encourage local art and craft.”
Since its launch, only four programmes have been held, says Shinde.
A visit to the site reveals plants and shrubs are dying due to lack of negligence, and the once green lawns are dried and full of weeds allowing stray dogs to have a field day.
A maintenance contractor on condition of anonymity says, “I am not from PMC. We use the water source from here to water the roundabout near the bridge and hence, was also told to look after the plants inside the art plaza since they lack people for maintenance.”
{{/usCountry}}A maintenance contractor on condition of anonymity says, “I am not from PMC. We use the water source from here to water the roundabout near the bridge and hence, was also told to look after the plants inside the art plaza since they lack people for maintenance.”
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Urban design plan for Pune
While the Bund Garden art plaza is struggling to survive, the road department under the PMC’s urban street design plan, is to create walking plazas with spaces to sit and relax. “We are planning to have three walking plazas on Fergusson College road, Gokhale Chowk near café Goodluck, and a stretch near Police Ground, respectively. These walking plazas will have digital prints of the vibrant places around these areas and paintings, along with information of these roads,” said Dinkar Gojare, executive engineer road department.