Mumbai: The BMC has appointed a structural auditor to conduct an audit of the existing structure in the India United Mills compound at Kalachowki.
Based on its report, the BMC will carry out the restoration work of the dilapidated mill structures in the second phase of its ambitious Textile Museum project. Meanwhile, the first phase of the work is at the final stage and the musical fountain will be functional by October, confirmed the civic official.
Phase 1
In phase 1, the BMC has already constructed a souvenir store, five shops, restored gates and grills, an amphitheater, textile murals, a cafeteria, a ticket window, seating arrangements for the visitors and a musical fountain. A tender was invited on Thursday for horticulture, barricading in the mill area, cleaning and some finishing work.
Phase 2
For the second phase of work, the civic authorities have appointed a structural auditor. "We have informed Structwel Consultants Pvt Ltd. to carry out an audit of the existing structure in the mill compound. There are around 4-5 structures that are old and hence dilapidated. The consultant will tell us the actual condition of the structure, the amount of restoration it requires, the estimated cost and how it can be converted into a museum and a library," said a senior civic official.
3-D multimedia water fountain set to open to the public in October
The biggest attraction of the museum, a three-dimensional multimedia water fountain built atop the pond, is set to open to the public in October. "The visitors will get to see a 30-minute film on the history of the city's textile legacy on the musical fountain. A well-known actor, Sachin Khedekar, did voiceover for the film. We have also made a parking facility for 40 vehicles on the mill premises. We will take a review of the response from the citizen and will then decide about the entry fee," he added. The plan to convert India United Mill 2 and 3 into a museum to showcase the history of the city's textile legacy was first mooted in 2009. Accordingly, the National Textile Corporation Limited (NTCL) handed over the mill compound to the civic body under an Integrated Development Scheme (IDS).
However, it took almost a decade to actually start the work on the project, after the approval of BMC's standing committee in 2019. The BMC has acquired 34,000 square meters of mill land for the project, while the remaining 10,000 sq metres is yet to be acquired. The first phase of the museum cost ₹32 crores.
