The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has selected Tata Consulting Engineers to design and oversee its ambitious Central Park project in Cuffe Parade.

The consultant will design the park, a waterway and jetty, and help secure the necessary permissions. It will also create a viability report, detailed project report and a tender document.

“The project will cost Rs. 3.87 crore. A proposal has been tabled before the standing committee, and is likely to come up for discussion next week,” said a statement issued by the BMC.

New York inspiration

The BMC plans to develop the 300-acre park in Cuffe Parade on the lines of New York’s Central Park.

The project was first mooted during the Development Plan (DP) revision process and was retained in the new DP.

The park will require reclamation of land, which will be done using debris from the Metro construction or other work in the city.

The park will have lawns, jogging tracks, a waterway and a children’s play area. The Maritime Board has also proposed a jetty for fishermen’s boats.

Green impact

The BMC had appointed the National Institute of Oceanography and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to study the park’s environmental impact. The agencies are expected to submit a report next year.

When the park was first proposed, fisherfolk had voiced their concerns about it and even threatened to protest if it went through. Citizens had asked for the need to have the park in South Mumbai which already has a lot of open spaces. Many citizens had questioned the need to develop an open space through reclamation of land.

The BMC had maintained that the park would be a welcome addition to open spaces in the city.