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.