Hindustan Times 01.10.2010
Bandra talao clean-up a success: BMCBandra talao has become cleaner. The first phase of reviving the 200-year-old pond, which involved cleaning the stagnant water using aerators and reactivating the fountains, has shown positive results. On Thursday, after additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar and other civic officials inspected the pond. Happy with the results, they decided to start the second phase of the plan — to build a paver block walkway around Bandra talao.
“The best part about this process is that it is low on cost and very effective,” said Mhaiskar.
“The idea is to let people use the area for morning and evening walks,” said a senior civic official, requesting anonymity.
The pond was filled with stagnant water and layered with solid waste for several years.
In July, the municipal corporation and the Mumbai Waterfront Centre undertook steps to revive the heritage grade–II structure, such as plugging a leaky sewage line that passed through the lake and stopping locals from dumping solid waste into the pond.
The municipal corporation’s architect department had also proposed a Rs 35-crore makeover for the Bandra talao, but the ambitious plan is yet to take off because of the paucity of funds.
