Friday, November 30, 2012

Opera House revamp hits another roadblock Heritage committee wants 20-year-old restaurant in the building to go before it clears proposal





Opera House revamp hits another roadblock

Heritage committee wants 20-year-old restaurant in the building to go before it clears proposal
Posted On Friday, November 30, 2012 at 10:28:21 AM
Royal Opera House (Mumbai) is located in Mumbai
Location within Mumbai

There’s been yet another delay in the revamp of Opera House - once an epicenter of Indian films and theatre. This time, it’s due to concerns raised over arestaurant and a proposed art gallery inside the landmark structure.

While considering its restoration proposal, the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) has proposed that a 20-year-old restaurant inside the Opera House be removed as it is blocking the view of the iconic theatre.

Built over a century ago, the Opera House stopped screening films and was shut down in the late 1980s. The brilliant colonial era building has not only witnessed the premier of some of the Bollywood classics, but also hosted live theatres by Prithviraj Kapoor, Dinanath Mageshkar and famous French production Pathé.

The restoration work at the building was set to begin in 2008 when MHCC had allowed conservation architect Abha Lambah to carry out some structural repair work at the building, which is a grade II heritage structure.

A proposal for full restoration of Opera House was submitted in 2011 but it ended up gathering dust at the BMC Headquarters for a year because MHCC was defunct between July 2011 and July 2012.

The newly formed MHCC examined the proposal and has suggested changes to the plan. The revamp proposal includes restoring the main live theater area and turning it into a movie theatre, revamping the restaurant and landscaping the open space to use it as the parking space. The committee has expressed objections to these.

“The committee observed that the restaurant shed is not part of the original theater complex. Also the restaurant is blocking the view of the main theatre structure from certain angles,” said a member of the MHCC.

“Even if the authenticity of the restaurant was established, it would be more appropriate to relocate the same farther away from the main entrance, thereby creating a more open area near the entrance of this public building,” the member added.

MHCC Chairman V Ranganathan said that the commitee had called for more details about the proposal for the restaurant and the landscaping. “We have asked for more details since exact details about entire revamp were not submitted to the committee. Once the details are provided, the commitee will go through them again and then take a final call,” Ranganathan told Mumbai Mirror.

Lambah said that once a go-ahead from the MHCC comes through, the renovation would take around a year. “The restaurant is there for the past 15-20 years. There is no plan to build any new restaurant but the old restaurant will be renovated. We will give all details to the MHCC and wait till we get their nod,” Lambah said.

The MHCC is likely to visit the theatre soon, before giving a final approval to the renovation proposal. “From a grade IIA structure it has been proposed to be upgraded to Grade I. We will have to keep that in mind too,” Ranganathan added.


General information
Architectural style Baroque design - a blend of European and Indian Architectural style
Town or city Mumbai
Country India
Coordinates 18.956111°N 72.815556°E
Construction started 1909
Completed 1912
Design and construction
Client Bombay Presidency

Maurice Bandmann & Jehangir Framji Karaka


 


Opera House
Forget travelling to London, Chicago or even Sydney for your operatic pleasures. Now, you can get your fill of oratorio, theatre and dance in Mumbai itself, with the city’s one-time favourite Opera House, set to get renovated after months of waiting.
Architect Abha Narain Lambah, who is in charge of the project, says the journey was ‘magical’. She says, “To see the lovely opera interiors - the stage with all functioning equipment, galleries and chandeliers - was like walking back in time.” It was also a journey of learning for her. “You have to understand the language of the opera, the backstage etc. It meant so much, for instance, Prithviraj Kapoor literally lived upstairs in the green room,” she says, adding, “there are paintings of playwrights on the wall and the chairs, curtains and stage are still there. When you walk in, it’s as though any time someone will just throw on the lights - surreal,” she says.
There are definite conservation measures undertaken to restore the structure to its original grandeur. “Our first aim is to structurally stabilise and strengthen it,” reveals Abha. Thus, the Baroque-style building will see structural repairs in phase one, while phase two will comprise doing the interiors. It is expected to see completion within a year.
In May 2001, the planning dictum was that: The historicity of the building and its architecture will be lost if it is not used as a theatre and there should not be a change of user. “That is the land use and what the owner of the building - the Maharaja of Gondal intends,” she says.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

HOVERCRAFT WATER TRANSPORT IN MUMBAI

 

 HISTORY OF HOVERCRAFT WATER TRANSPORT IN MUMBAI

A hovercraft service ran briefly between Navi Mumbai and the Gateway of India in 1992-93 but had to shut down because of problems. In 2005, there was an attempt to revive the project and Metro Infrastructure and IIT-Powai were appointed as consultants, but the project did not take off.

 

Hovercraft at juhu beach , bombay mumbai , maharashtra , india1992

Hovercraft at juhu beach , bombay mumbai , maharashtra , india
Caption: Hovercraft at juhu beach , bombay mumbai , maharashtra , india. Image Code: DPA-MMN-85510. Photographer: Dinodia. Collection: Dinodia Photo. Rights Managed
 Several years ago, water transport from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai had to be stopped due to denial of landing point by the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT). Cidco then shelved the project. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) was later asked to execute the project. Currently, it has invited expressions of interest to revive the project that aims to connect Ferry Wharf to Nerul.
 
As a viable and attractive alternative to Mumbai's congested roadways, air-conditioned hovercraft service has several advantages.


Distance between Borivli and Nariman Point 55 km

Time between Borivli and Nariman Point 50 min (half of what it takes today)

Cost of one way ticket Rs 130

Passenger capacity 100-300

Days of year the service can run 300


For the hovercraft service to be really attractive, a Ro-Ro (roll on and roll off with vehicles) option would be the best. It will also cut down the congestion on the roadways. This is not being considered currently.

The past has not been so rosy for this service. Vashi to Gateway of India service was started in 1994, but was suspended due to lack of jetties, support from the government. What is required is permanent set of jetties along with a terminal.

Abandoned 50-passenger hovercraft at Belapur (New Mumbai)

  http://wikimapia.org/16652070/Abandoned-50-passenger-hovercraft-at-Belapur

India / Maharashtra / Panvel / New Mumbai
  hovercraft
These two British-made hovercraft named Triton-I and Triton-II, were owned and operated by Triton -- a 1996 joint-venture between the Mahindra Group, CIDCO, IL&FS and SICOM. Triton had only two craft. The one registered as VTZW was named Triton-I and VTZV was named Triton-II.

Services began in November 1996 using these two 1992 model Griffon 4000TD, 50-passenger twin diesel hovercraft.

They ferried 1,000 passengers a day, regularly on a 30-minute trip between Juhu and Chowpatty beach.

The government had guaranteed Triton that they would provide jetties and access roads on the beaches. However, even two years later, these facilities were non-existent. The government alloted Triton a plot of land to land the hovercraft at Free Press Journal Marg at Nariman Point. Trial runs, ran successfully. However, local fisherfolk obstructed the hovercraft by anchoring their boats in the path of the craft.
To add to that The BMC demolished Triton's booth at Nariman Point.

The service, originally intended to run between Nariman Point and Juhu beach was truncated to terminate at Chowpatty.

The last hovercraft plied between Chowpatty and Juhu beach in April 1998.
After a lengthy monsoon break, the service was killed off. It had made losses of Rs. 1.5 crore per year.
Coordinates:   19°0'51"N   73°2'33"E
Nearby cities: PARSIK HILL, KAMOTHE SEC 12 , Juinagar

Comments

  • ramrao wrote 1 year ago
    These hovercraft traveled only from Juhu to Chowpatty, while the service was alive. How did they happen to be abandoned at Belapur?
  • ramrao wrote 2 years ago
    Original text and photographs by B. J. Ram Rao [dob:1-Dec-1957]. Stored here for future reference. These two British-made hovercraft named Triton-I and Triton-II, were owned and operated by Triton -- a 1996 joint-venture between the Mahindra Group, CIDCO, IL&FS and SICOM. Triton had only two craft. The one registered as VTZW was named Triton-I and VTZV was named Triton-II. Services began in November 1996 using these two 1992 model Griffon 4000TD, 50-passenger twin diesel hovercraft. They ferried 1,000 passengers a day, regularly on a 30-minute trip between Juhu and Chowpatty beach. The government had guaranteed Triton that they would provide jetties and access roads on the beaches. However, even two years later, these facilities were non-existent. The government alloted Triton a plot of land to land the hovercraft at Free Press Journal Marg at Nariman Point. Trial runs, ran successfully. However, local fisherfolk obstructed the hovercraft by anchoring their boats in the path of the craft. To add to that The BMC demolished Triton's booth at Nariman Point. The service, originally intended to run between Nariman Point and Juhu beach was truncated to terminate at Chowpatty. The last hovercraft plied between Chowpatty and Juhu beach in April 1998. After a lengthy monsoon break, the service was killed off. It had made losses of Rs. 1.5 crore per year. 

    Hovercraft rider: Rs 300 for 45-minute zip from North Mumbai to Nariman Point

      |
    Print
    Swapnil Rawal : MUmbai, Tue Sep 28 2010, 00:04 hrs

    Once the inland passenger water transport project is complete, hovercraft and catamarans will carry commuters from North Mumbai to Nariman Point in 45 minutes, but it will come up at a price, a one-way ticket ranging between Rs 300 to Rs 350.
    The Rs 1,200-crore project that has been on the drawing boards since 2002 envisages linking the western waterfront from Nariman Point to Borivali with PWT terminals at Bandra, Juhu, Versova and Marve.
    "Working out the fares is in the scope of work of the concessionaire (the Pratibha Industries Ltd-led consortium) though they will have to get approval from us," said an official with nodal agency Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation.
    "We are currently awaiting clearance from the cabinet sub committee on the project before issuing the letter of acceptance. But the fares would be less than the taxi fare per kilometre."
    A representative of the consortium said the fare works out to Rs 12 per kilometre "as of today". "For endpoint-to-endpoint travel it should cost around Rs 300 to Rs 350. The rates are still not finalised, this is a preliminary estimate. Once the LoA is issued we will present it to MSRDC and discuss it," said Raju Bansode of Pratibha Industries, who is in charge of the project.
    Bansode acknowledged that the higher the fares, the lower the likely ridership. "The fare may be reduced for a longer trip. We are making a lot of investment on the infrastructure of terminals, vessels etc, so low ridership will not be in the larger interest of the project."
    The most used mode of transport on the same route, suburban trains, is saturated. Buses, taxis and even private vehicles have to struggle through the traffic and take around two-and-a-half hours for the journey.
    The objective of the project, when floated, was to complement the suburban rail network. For the same distance, a second-class monthly season ticket costs Rs 140, but it comes with a jampacked one-hour ride.
    "The catamarans and hovercraft will be airconditioned as will the terminals at various locations as per the conditions of the government. It would be a world-class travel experience," Bansode said.
     ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

    Mumbai Water-Ways : Making In-Roads in Waters

    29 December 2008 One Comment
    The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has made yet another move to kickstart water transport for the eastern and western fronts of Mumbai.
    A few years ago, hovercraft services were available between Chowpatty and Juhu on the western front and Gateway of India to Vashi and Belapur in Navi Mumbai. A few experiments were conducted to provide hovercraft services till Mulund too.
    hovercraft Mumbai Water Ways : Making In Roads in Waters
    But the unorganised efforts of companies did not yield results. The MSRDC has been planning to shape up the proposal. Its last attempt was caught in a legal wrangle and the company shortlisted for the task was not financially viable.
    This time around, the MSRDC wants to formulate a concrete plan with all-weather crafts. As the MSRDC is seeking companies with good financial backgrounds, the officials have called for proposals with a deposit of Rs 3 crore for the western suburbs and Rs 2 crore for the eastern suburbs. The project will be implemented on Build Operate and Transfer basis. The companies will have to design, finance, construct, monitor, operate, maintain and transfer the project. The final proposals have to reach the MSRDC office by March 7, 2009.
    mumbaiwaterwaysmsrdc Mumbai Water Ways : Making In Roads in Waters
    On the western front, the MSRDC wants to connect the central business district of Nariman Point with Gorai, with stoppages at Chowpatty, Bandra and Andheri. On the eastern side, the authorities plan to connect the Gateway of India with Navi Mumbai and Mulund. This will save travel time too.
    Ideally, the government must have a 49% stake in the project, since most of these crafts are expensive and the companies operating them will charge a hefty amount. The whole idea may lose effectivity in case pricing is incorrrect. The government needs to construct better jetties and can earn by putting up shops along them.
    MSRDC’s founder-managing director R C Sinha who shaped the flyovers for the city said, “The corporation must study the proposal and its feasibility or it would turn into something like the Worli-Bandra project (where costs are increasing each month.)’’
    The Maharashtra Maritime Board was to start the construction of jetties at Gorai, but that has been slow-moving.
    Corporation sources said they have the permission from the environment and forest ministry but the eastern front plan was yet to get the final nod. Following the terror attacks, the department of atomic energy is also likely to put forward its objections as the BARC falls en route.
    THE HOVER CRAFT SERVICE BETWEEN JUHU AND CHOWPATTY CAME TO AN ABRUPT END FOLLOWING A FIRE WHILE AT SEA ,NEAR SHORE ,BUT WITHOUT ANY CASUALITY IN 1998.It had made losses of Rs. 1.5 crore per year.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

proposal to shrink green buffer zones’-mumbay city

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thane/Veto-proposal-to-shrink-green-buffer-zones/articleshow/17354768.cmshttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thane/Veto-proposal-to-shrink-green-buffer-zones/articleshow/17354768.cms

Reserved open spaces being encroached upon, says MLA


READ MORE MLA|Congress
MUMBAI: Congress legislator from Vile Parle, Krishna Hegde, has accused ward officials of favouring traders and developers at the cost of locals by allowing them to encroach upon reserved open spaces.

In a letter to municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte, Hegde said that at least three prime plots reserved for various amenities totalling over 2 lakh sq feet in Vile Parle have been encroached upon and the BMC has been reluctant to take action. On the Andheri-Ghatkopar link road, a marble trader alone has usurped 83,610 sq ft, he said. The reserved open space is being used to cut, grind and polish marble. "The entire plot is an amalgamation of eight plots and is reserved for a recreational ground. The local K-East ward office along with the civic legal department are dragging their feet over the removal of the encroachment. Here there is a single encroacher," alleged Hegde.

A senior civic official said the HC had stayed the eviction and the matter went to the apex court. "Last month, the SC vacated the stay and we have now started the acquisition process. We have served eviction notices but since the structures are standing since 1989-90 we cannot remove them unless we provide alternate space,'' he said. Hegde said that there was just one structure present there in 1989 and the marble factory came up only three years ago.

A second plot on Malviya road, spread over 40,000 sq ft and reserved as a recreational ground, is still to be cleared. A third plot measuring 50,000 sq ft near the Milan subway flyover, reserved for a bus depot, is also under encroachment. The civic official said the process of acquisition of the plot on Malviya road has been stayed.

Hegde said, "It took me two and a half years and over 20 reminders before the BMC acquired a plot adjoining the Malviya road plot that was encroached upon and the same story is being repeated."

THE ORIGIN OF BOMBAY (MUMBAY)-- under portuguese rule-click and read on line

HISTORY OF ST BONAVENTURE CHURCH BOMBAY:-http://books.google.co.in/books?id=miD5YO05jpUC&pg=PA195-lpg=PA195&dq=HISTORY+OF+ST+BONAVENTURE+CHURCH+BOM

Monday, November 19, 2012