The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters will soon open its doors to visitors for guided tours.
The announcement was made by Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray. Thackeray visited the building to review preparations on Sunday.
Taking to Twitter, Aaditya Thackeray wrote: "The historic building of Mumbai Municipal Corporation will soon be open to everyone. There are many things to learn while touring this rich history. Took a demo of the "Heritage Walk" with @HelloMTDC's MD @salilashutosh and officials of @mybmc."
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 since nearly a quarter century.
In October, a memorandum was signed between the BMC administration and the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) to throw open the civic headquarters for tourists.
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.
The building has been a huge attraction not only for Mumbaikars, but also for tourists from across the state and abroad. Some of the noteworthy features of the BMC Building comprise a 255-feet tall tower at the main entrance, 235 feet high Central Dome, among other aspects that are expected to be a major tourist draw.
At the entrance of the BMC headquarters is a bronze statue of Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, one of the earliest Municipal Commissioner of BMC and four times its President, besides being one of the founder members of the Indian National Congress, and its President in 1890.
The BMC headquarters was designed by British architect Frederick W. Stevens. While its construction began in 1884, it was completed in 1893 making the building 127-year--old from the time of completion of its construction. Completed in 1893, the structure is built in the Venetian Gothic, Indo-Saracenic style.
