Mumbai: The BMC has undertaken repair and renovation work of the Bhau Daji Lad museum which is situated near the Veer Jijamata Udyan, Byculla. The civic body will spend around Rs 3 crore for the planned revamp.
In another similar project, the dome of the main building of the BMC headquarters will be repaired at the cost of Rs 10.71 crore. Both the structures have heritage-grade tags.
On Dec 2, the BMC invited tenders for the repairing work. According to tender documents, the contractor has submitted the estimate for the work based on the structural report submitted by M/S structwel.
The repairing works of the museum include restoration of tile roof and ornamental design on ceiling and paint, waterproofing of flat terrace, and repairs to facade, wooden doors and windows.
Some other tasks on the list are internal and external plastering and painting, anti-termite treatment, removal and re-fixing of stone sculptures around periphery of the structure, erecting a railing for ramp and building a grill for stone elephant.
“It's a preventive maintenance. Around 20 years back, repair work had been done. Now, we have noticed some problem areas like loose plaster, etc. Polymer repair and waterproofing will be done followed by painting,” said one of the officers working on the project. According to the tender, the works will be finished within 18 months.
Talking about the BMC's main building repair, Heritage Department head Sanjay Sawant said, “The cracks in the dome of the main building will be filled up scientifically.”
For Your Information
One of the city's oldest museums, Bhai Daji Lad was established in 1857. Its first name was Victoria and Albert museum. It has historical significance as it was the first colonial building to be built for the specific purpose housing museum.
More than a 100 years later, the museum was renamed in honour of Dr Bhau Daji Lad who worked for the museum's establishment. Dr Lad was the first Indian Sheriff of Mumbai and also became the secretary of the museum committee when it was first instituted.
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