The iconic, V-shaped Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters — opposite the UNESCO World Heritage Site Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)– will soon be opened for tourists, Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray has announced.
A memorandum was signed on October 13 between the BMC administration and the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation to throw open the civic headquarters for tourists on weekends to admire its architecture.
Both the CSMT and the BMC Building were designed by British architect Frederick W. Stevens.
“It’s a building that’s always captured my imagination and left millions like me awestruck. I’m sure that not just tourists, but many Mumbaikars would also love to see the building of the BMC headquarters, the way Mumbai is run from in here and seek inspiration from the historic figures that built the city from here,” Thackeray said in a tweet.
Housed in a Grade IIA Heritage building, the BMC – the biggest and richest civic body in Asia – has been politically controlled by the Shiv Sena for nearly a quarter century.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Thackeray, Minister of State for Tourism Aditi Tatkare, Mayor Kishori Pednekar, BMC Commissioner I.S. Chahal, BMC Additional Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, Principal Secretary Tourism Valsa Nair-Singh, MTDC Managing Director Ashutosh Salil and other officials.