MUMBAI: BMC headquarters will soon undergo repairs and restoration as part of phase 5. A fresh structural audit was conducted and repairs will be carried out.
BMC is cleaning the stone facade now. As part of the restoration, the roof will be repaired. BMC’s heritage cell recently ordered a structural audit of the building and appointed heritage conservationist Chetan Raikar for the job.
Major restoration was done 10 years back. “Mangalore tile roof will be repaired. Following the structural audit report we identified repair work. Since it is an old building, repairs have to be carried out frequently. Phase 5 may cost Rs10-15 crore. There have been many cracks in roof tiles and leakage due to it. Bird nets will be installed,” officials said.
The a two-storey headquarters has an elevator but the attic above the second floor is not in use. “The magnificent dome you see inside is not the one you see from the main staircase. The inside dome is lower. There are two water tanks between the domes which were used to supply water to the building. The old overhead water tanks were concealed so that the building’s beauty was not affected. The tanks are not used now,” says Bharat Gothoskar, founder of Khaki Tours.
