The proposal for a cycle track on the sidewalk along the protective wall around the Mahalaxmi racecourse, got the final nod from the civic standing committee on Tuesday. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be spending Rs 1.22 crore on the project, said a civic official.
The protective wall adjacent to the racecourse on Dr E Moses Road is in a dilapidated condition and the sidewalk is also damaged in some places.
The BMC, along with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), is constructing cycle tracks throughout the city. Similar projects have been undertaken at Dahisar, Borivli, Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Dadar by several corporators and legislators.
According to the draft proposal tabled before the standing committee, the plan is to end illegal parking along the sidewalk too. The proposal, tabled before the standing committee meeting on Tuesday also mentioned that the work on the cycle track would be completed in four months and the contractors concerned would have the responsibility of maintaining it for two years.
“There will be a sidewalk and a cycle track at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse. Besides this, to provide an unobstructed view of the racecourse, we'll demolish the wall and replace it with a fence. The entire stretch of road just across from Famous Studio is currently lying unused. We will revamp and transform it into a functional environment for pedestrians and cyclists,” said a senior BMC official.
Along with this, a Rs 3.4 crore proposal to demarcate the buffer zone around Sanjay Gandhi National Park was to be tabled before the standing committee on Tuesday. The BMC plans to demarcate the buffer zone around the SGNP as per Development Plan 2034. However, this proposal did not come up for discussion on Tuesday and was set aside until the next standing committee meeting.
