The BMC has constructed a walkway from the existing public parking lot at Bhulabhai Desai Road to Mahalakshmi Temple on the reclaimed area under the Mumbai Coastal Road Project. The walkway will ease access for devotees to reach the temple who otherwise have to suffer due to heavy traffic on this road.
The walkway was inaugurated by Guardian Minister (city )Deepak Kesarkar and Guardian Minister (suburb) Mangal Prabhat Lodha on Sunday morning. The iconic structure of Mahalaxmi temple is nearly 200 years old, located on the Bhulabhai Desai Road, or more popularly known as Cadbury junction. As per civic officials, the temple attracts around 70,000 visitors a day on average and runs into five lakhs during the festive season of Navratri.
However, the heavy traffic on Bhulabhai Desai road is also occupied by pedestrians and motorists, due to which the devotees have to face inconvenience to reach the temple. Following directives of guardian minister Deepak Kesarkar for better crowd management, the BMC is working to ease the excess to the Mahalaxmi Temple, with multiple entry and exit points through Coastal Road. Accordingly, a six-metre wide and 300-m long walkway is constructed ranging from the public parking lot at Bhulabhai Desai Marg to Mahalakshmi Temple.
"The visitors can park their vehicles in the parking lot and reach the temple. A battery-operated car facility will be available on this walkway for the convenience of senior citizens and other needy people. They can reach the temple avoiding rush," said a senior civic official. Since the temple lacks proper access for vehicles, the BMC is also working on integrating it with the coastal road garden to accommodate a crowd of visitors.
