Key points:-
- Coming Saturday, Mumbaikars will be able to walk through the corridors of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) head office at Fort.
- In the walk, patrons will be able to visit 17 scenic points inside the BMC headquarters, under the supervision of an expert guide.
- Bharat Gothoskar, founder of Khaki Tours said the heritage walks will be conducted on weekends and the first walk will be held on January 30.
- The timings of the walks will be – 9 am, 10:30 am, 4 pm and 5:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
- The walk will cost Rs 300 for each visitor and an additional Rs 500 needs to be paid incase the visitor wishes to carry a professional camera.
The BMC building is a UNESCO world heritage site, that was built in a Victorian Gothic Revival style with Golden beige basalt rocks in 1893.
On Thursday, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated the heritage walk event along with deputy CM – Ajit Pawar, State minister of revenue Balasaheb Thorat, environment minister Aaditya Thackeray and mayor – Kishori Pednekar.
Coming Saturday, Mumbaikars will be able to walk through the corridors of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) head office at Fort. In an attempt to promote Mumbai’s heritage among citizens and tourists, the state government has decided to conduct guided heritage walks inside the 128 years old BMC building.
In the walk, patrons will be able to visit 17 scenic points inside the BMC headquarters, under the supervision of an expert guide. The meeting point will be the selfie point outside the BMC headquarters, thereafter patrons will be taken inside the building. Some of the key scenic points include – Corporation Hall, Standing Committee Hall, Mayor’s Office, Main Dome, Inner Dome and Museum Tower.
The heritage walk is a joint initiative between the BMC and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). City based local tourism agency – ‘Khaki Tours’ has been appointed to curate the tours.
Bharat Gothoskar, founder of Khaki Tours said the heritage walks will be conducted on weekends and the first walk will be held on January 30.
“We have chalked out four preferable slots for each day and each tour will last for an hour, followed by a detailed interactive session with the guide” Gothoskar.
He added, the timings of the walks will be – 9 am, 10:30 am, 4 pm and 5:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
The walk will cost Rs 300 for each visitor and an additional Rs 500 needs to be paid incase the visitor wishes to carry a professional camera. However an MTDC official said, visitors can click pictures with mobile phones, free of cost.
“Any camera other than mobile phones will be chargeable, however due to security reasons visitors may not be allowed to take pictures in some locations,” said the official.
Officials stated, booking for the walk could be done online through, ‘www.bookmyshow.com’ or bookmyshow mobile app.
Speaking on the event CM Thackeray stated, his government has taken an attempt to restore and preserve some of the important heritage structures of the city, including – the Worli Fort, the Sion Fort and Bandra Fort.
