3 years after 1st phase,state takes Chaityabhoomi project forward

The Rs-21-crore project is being executed by the BMC with aid from the state government. Phase one involved repairs to the drainage system and the pathway as well as placing of boulders to protect the retaining wall.

Phases two and three will involve the construction of a walkway,projecting into the sea and running parallel to the coast. “The existing half-kilometre pathway leading to the stupa is only 10 metres wide. Under the new proposal,it will extend further into the sea,with a total width of 20 metres,with the help of cantilevers,” said the BMC’s city engineer,SD Vatkar.

The project will also include expansion of the existing stupa without disturbing the original structure,landscaping and construction of a water fountains and a circular meditation pavilion next to the stupa to accommodate hundreds of Bodh Bhikshus who pay homage at the site.

Explaining the delay in phases two and three,state environment secretary and MCZMA chairperson Valsa Nair-Singh said,“We had asked for a certain re-alignment of the proposed walkway in tandem with the CRZ rules,due to which the proposal had to be submitted once again,” said Singh. All three phases of the project come under CRZ-I,with much of the construction seaward of the existing stupa.

Civic officials say phase four would go beyond beautification and look at setting up a library featuring the works of Dr Ambedkar. The BMC is in talks with the National Textile Corporation which owns the adjoining defunct India United Mills 6 plot,the proposed site for the library.

The state had recently constituted a committee under the Chief Secretary for speedy implementation of the project and to resolve issues between various government agencies.