Along with maintenance and upkeep for the Fitzgerald Fountain, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has initiated work for a contract to maintain 22 heritage monuments in the Fort, Colaba and Churchgate areas, officials said.
This includes maintenance of three other fountains – Flora Fountain at Hutatma Chowk, Mulji Jetha Fountain at Ballard Estate, and Wellington Fountain at Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Chowk near Colaba Causeway.
On July 3, mid-day had reported on Fitzgerald Fountain`s deteriorating surface due to the monsoon, in the absence of regular upkeep, as a three-year contract for its maintenance expired in March this year. Subsequently, this week, the BMC took up the cleaning of the Fitzgerald Fountain by assigning the work on a temporary basis to the previous contractor, officials had told mid-day.
On Friday, the BMC floated a fresh tender for the upkeep of these heritage monuments in the A Ward area. The list also includes the Fitzgerald Fountain.
Additionally, the work also includes maintenance of the 157-year-old Cooperage Bandstand on Madam Cama Road — the road which has the entrance to the Mantralaya main gate — the Kothari Pyaav near GPO, and 16 other statues including 12 bronze statues and four marble statues.
The cost of the project for a period of three years is approximately Rs 2 crore, according to information from the BMC.
What is the work to be carried out?
For the 4 fountains: Conservation of the heritage structures using steam cleaning methods annually, cleaning of the grills, lamp posts, and plaques at each monument, and fortnightly cleaning of the water troughs of the fountains.
For the Cooperage Bandstand: Maintenance of the fire-retardant paint on the monument, maintenance of the cobblestone floor, the amphitheatre steps, cleaning of the wooden monument including roof sheets, and regular maintenance of the premises.
For Fitzgerald fountain: Carrying out a yearly polyurethane coat to preserve the structure and protect it from corrosive environmental substances such as rain, dust and pollution, checking and maintaining the nuts and bolts of the monument, maintenance of the plaque, operation and maintenance of the water pumps and lights, and washing of the cobble stone floor.
A senior civic official told mid-day, “BMC will monitor the work on a daily basis via updates received daily on social media messaging services (WhatsApp) of work done at the respective premises every day. The contractor is required to send such updates and photos to the civic officials monitoring the project.”
List of monuments:
1) Fitzgerald Fountain
2) Flora Fountain at Hutatma Chowk
3) Mulji Jetha Fountain at Ballard Estate
4) Wellington Fountain at Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Chowk near Colaba Causeway.
5) Kothari Pyaav at GPO
Bronze statues:
1) Hormasjee Cawasjee Dinshaw statue at Veer Nariman Road
2) Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar statue at Madam Cama Road
3) Sir Jamshethji Jeejeebhoy statue at Veer Nariman Road
4) Sir Dinshaw Edulji Wacha at Veer Nariman Road
5) Grandfather Naoroji statue at D.N Road
6) Firozshah Metha statue at DN Road
7) Rajiv Gandhi statue at Cooperage Garden
8) Swami Vivekananda statue at Gateway of India
9) Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Gateway of India
10) Lal Bahadur Shastri statue at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Chowk
11) Hutatma Memorial at Hutatma Chowk
12) Pandit Jawaharlal statue at Churchgate
Marble statues:
1) Mahadeo Govind Ranade statue at Veer Nariman Road
2) Sohrabji Shapoorji Bengali statue at Veer Nariman Road
3) Gopal Krishna Gokale statue at Veer Nariman Road
4) Dinshaw Manekji Petit statue at DN Road
