Mumbai: Almost two months after BJP stalled the BMC administration’s proposal to build a town hall opposite the civic body headquarters and instead pushed for a larger House at the same site to tackle what it called “acute” space constraints for 237 corporators, work on redesigning the project is moving rapidly.Senior civic officials said revised design plans have now been finalised for a new and upgraded House with a seating capacity for nearly 300, factoring in a possible rise in the number of corporators in the future, while retaining the architectural grandeur of the existing heritage BMC headquarters. The plot measures around 950sqm.The new structure, to come up on the civic gymkhana grounds, will feature high ceilings, large column-free halls and facades that blend with the precinct’s heritage character.“We wanted a proper civic House and not merely a town hall for public events. This project is very close to us because the existing House is struggling with space constraints,” said Ganesh Khankar, BJP group leader in BMC, who has been closely following the redesign plans.According to civic officials, the proposed structure will rise up to around four levels, including basement and podium parking capable of accommodating 70-90 vehicles, while staying within the height restrictions applicable in the heritage precinct. “The building will not exceed 32m. Parking and podium levels will occupy the lower floors, while dedicated floors are planned for the House, offices and gymkhana facilities,” an official said. The hall will include dedicated viewing galleries and improved circulation spaces.Officials said the project will house separate chambers for the mayor, the municipal commissioner and additional municipal commissioners, besides civic party offices and administrative spaces. Plans include bridges and connectivity features linking sections of the complex.“The earlier proposal was more tourism- and public-oriented, with cafes and viewing spaces. The corporators wanted a more functional civic building with larger meeting spaces and proper office infrastructure,” said a senior BMC official. Civic engineers said one of the biggest challenges has been designing a large column-free hall within a relatively small ground footprint. “The span between columns is much larger than in normal buildings. So, specialised structural design work is needed,” the official said.Sources said open-air cafeteria spaces and limited public access areas may still form part of the final design, although the primary focus has shifted towards creating a full-fledged House capable of handling future expansion in the corporation’s strength.
