BMC headquarters to open soon for visitors

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters will soon open its doors to visitors for guided tours.

The state tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray had announced in 2020 that BMC will be opening its doors to visitors. In his address, he had mentioned that it will give visitors an opportunity to learn and understand the history of the BMC, which is Asia’s richest civic body, building. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) along with the BMC will be organising guidance heritage walks for the people who wish to learn about the structure and its past.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed last year between the Corporation and the MTDC to promote tourism in the city.

According to reports, this initiative will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday, January 28 at 5 pm and then the historical legacy of the 150-year-old Gothic-style building will soon be revealed. 

Besides this, Mumbaikars should also learn about the structure as it is one of the oldest buildings in the city, and the one which is responsible for keeping Mumbai functional every day, all through the year.

Tourists will be able to take this 'heritage trip' on the weekends, i.e, Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays.

Apart from this initiative, the tourism department has been working hard to develop new opportunities for visitors in Mumbai and other parts of the state.

On the Republic Day, January 26, the Maharashtra government launched an initiative of “jail tourism” in the state, beginning with Pune’s 150-year-old Yerawada jail in the first phase. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar inaugurated the Jail Tourism Project at Yerawada Jail.

The concept of jail tourism was implemented by the Maharashtra Home Department for the people to witness the Indian War of Independence.