CST to get huge makeover with mini museum and a leafy entrance

Built in honour of Queen Victoria in 1887, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) will now finally get the royal treatment, thanks to the Swachh Bharat Mission. As one of the 10 iconic sites selected from across the country by the Centre, the UNESCO heritage building and its surroundings will be spruced up and undergo a major makeover to make it more appealing to tourists.

CST is one of 10 iconic spots from across the country that will be spruced up under the Swachh Bharat Mission. File pic/Pradeep Dhivar

After the central government's Urban Development Department picked CST as one of the nation's 10 most iconic spots, the BMC and Central Railway will now undertake to revamp the heritage structure and recreate its former glory.

The BMC's vision of a cleaner, more beautiful CST

Clean-up job
One of the first things to do, of course, is to get rid of all the dirt and congestion. The BMC hopes to achieve this by regularly washing the 129-year-old building's façade, and employing cleaning staff around the clock. The next step will be to remove all the stalls and hawkers eating into pedestrian space near the station. The civic body has set a target of shifting 38 licensed stalls and 39 hawkers that are currently present near the St George Hospital lane and at the back of the General Post Office (GPO). This is currently the top priority, as only then will there be adequate space to implement other plans to improve the pedestrian experience. The idea is to create a spacious, pedestrian-friendly walkway from Dr DN Road to St George Road. However, the process of shifting hawkers inside the subway is going to take time, as a court case is on in the matter.

Grand entry
While the British-era terminus building is a majestic sight in itself, the BMC has also planned to make it more appealing by beautifying the entrance through Bhatia Baug. "The idea is to give tourists a royal feel as they enter the heritage building through the garden. Even the surrounding area in a 50- to 100-metre radius will be revamped," said a senior civic official. In that entire radius, the civic body will use the same colour scheme in the paver blocks, railings and paints to give the area a uniform look that is on par with international standards.

Close by, at the CST bus station, bus stops will be designed to look like vintage double-decker buses, where commuters can take shelter behind the façade. These stops will not feature any advertisements, and all hoardings and advertising material in the vicinity of the terminus will also be removed, so that nothing obstructs the view of the UNESCO heritage site.

"After removing all the bus stations from Nagar Chowk, we have proposed to set up new stops that look like double-decker buses. With the help of BEST officials, we will also display some old and rare pictures of BEST buses inside the stops to give some idea of our history to visitors," said another official from A ward.

Tourist-friendly
The plan is also to make CST a tourist-friendly spot, as it's the gateway to Mumbai. Right outside the station, officials will put up a map of A ward, with all its tourist spots, such as the Gateway of India, Kala Ghoda, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralaya (erstwhile Prince of Wales Museum). There will also be an open gallery of sorts, with rare images of the BMC building, CST and other heritage structures present nearby.

The BMC has roped in INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) and art director Nitin Desai to plan the revamp.

BMC and the Central Railways will be making a presentation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu tomorrow and the day after in New Delhi.

Speaking to mid-day, Assistant Municipal Commissioner (A-ward) Kiran Dighavkar said, "We will try to complete all the proposed work in the next one year. We are in the process of finalising the cost estimate."

Heritage conservationist and architect Rahul Chemburkar said, "It is a positive move. There should be no cosmetic changes done to the structure. It should be approached in a manner that the social and cultural value of the structure is not lost."

The grand plan
>> Beautified entrance through Bhatia Baug
>> Bus stops designed like vintage double-deckers
>> Removal of all advertising signs
>> FOB connecting Azad police station to CST platform will be redesigned
>> Big tourist map near the station entrance
>> 24x7 cleaning staff, and regular washes for building
>> he bus stop structure will be removed and a pole having bus numbers will be erected. Dr DN Road side
>> Stalls and hawkers to go
>> Trimming of trees