Permanent metal barricades to be set up as part of efforts to tighten security at the Grade 1 heritage structure
The stakeholders are no longer on the fence over ways to secure the Gateway of India. For, the decks for permanent barricades at the heritage site have finally been cleared.
At present, haphazardly placed barricades are all that stand between visitors and Gateway of India. Pic/Bipin Kokate
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After numerous exchanges of letters between the Mumbai Police, the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT), the BMC and the heritage committee over the issue, the municipal corporation has invited tenders to place 5 ft high, movable metal barricades around the Gateway, beginning at the entrance of the plaza. There will also be four police posts, complete with bag scanners, to frisk visitors entering and exiting the site. Currently, haphazardly placed barricades are all that stand between visitors and the Gateway.
Year-end deadline
A tender was invited about a fortnight ago, but since it did not receive any response, the civic body will re-invite tenders in the coming week. As per procedure, contractors will be shortlisted and the civic standing committee will take a final decision. Work orders may be given in about three months. The police are hoping to set up the barricades by year-end.
A civic official from the BMC’s heritage maintenance department said the barricades’ design was prepared by the municipal architect. “They have been designed keeping in view the aesthetics of the heritage structure. There will be a long, beautified stretch upto 75 m.”
The USP of the barricades: they can be disassembled and reassembled in a jiffy.
Pratap Dighavkar, additional commissioner of police (south), said he, too, had suggested that barricades should not mar the aesthetic appeal of the structure or block the view. “There was a meeting around six months ago on the matter. I haven’t heard from BMC officials since then.”
The only hiccup now is a clearance from the ministry of environment and forests as the Gateway falls under the Coastal Regulatory Zone. The BMC is confident of getting it soon.
What’s the need?
After the 26/11 attacks, the state government had ordered the securing of important public sites and installations in the city. The Mumbai Police then drew up a comprehensive action plan for Gateway, which included setting up CCTV cameras, bag scanners and door frame metal detectors.
But the plan got entangled in red tape since there are several agencies involved. The land on which the monument stands belongs to the MbPT, while its upkeep is the BMC’s job. Any change to the premises requires the consent of the heritage committee. The committee had once rejected the proposal, stating that it cannot allow barricading of a heritage structure. But after the police pressed on, an assent was given. The BMC chief had given his permission for the barricades almost a year ago. But between this back and forth, the Gateway remained exposed.
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