Mumbai's Mantralaya to get a makeover

Sprawling bungalows of ministers on Madam Cama Road in Nariman Point will become history in the next few years. Instead, there will be six swanky towers, with helipads and connecting bridges. Also, there will be villa apartments with ample parking space.The main Mantralaya building, too, will undergo a radical change - an ornate staircase, similar to the one at the Asiatic Library, giving it a grand new visage. The huge chowk between the main and annexe buildings will be beautified with tall palm trees, large cafeterias and waiting halls.Add to these an underground tunnel between Mantralaya and Vidhan Bhavan and connecting skywalks, and the mega project, envisaged by PWD, is going to cost more than Rs1,000 crore.A presentation has been already made before chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and few other key ministers last week. The plan, once sanctioned by the infrastructure committee, will be placed before the state cabinet. If passed, the developer for the project will be appointed through global bidding.
The alteration and renovation of all these buildings will be the responsibility of the developer, who can recover his expenditures from a plot in Nariman Point, given to him on lease for a certain period. In the design stage, the developer’s margin will be nearly 14 per cent. Moreover, setting aside a certain fund for maintenance of the structures will be the responsibility of the developer.The chief minister’s office will be shifted to the seventh floor, which currently is occupied by extended offices of some departments. The CM will have a separate entrance and an exclusive lift. The cabins of ministers and IAS officials will be given an uniform look. The design, made by noted architect firm Raja Aederi Consultants Pvt Ltd, has been submitted to the Centre for CRZ and environmental clearances.