The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s Heritage Cell has used stones salvaged from demolished British-era bridges to erect a new entrance gate at the city’s historic August Kranti Maidan.
Over the past few years, the civic body has taken up the demolition and reconstruction of several such bridges, including the Carnac, Hancock and Reay Road bridges. These bridges were built during the 19th century and mid-20th century using basalt stones.
The civic body has extracted chunks of basalt stones from the 112-year-old Reay Road Bridge, which was razed in October 2022.
Therefore, instead of disposing of the basalt stones, decided to reuse them to beautify the entrance of the iconic ground to preserve the legacy of Mumbai’s architecture.
A BMC official said the demolition of the bridge began after the monsoon last year, coinciding with August Kranti Maidan’s restoration and conservation work.
During one of the inspections, it was planned to remove the basalt stones of the bridge in a scientific manner and number them carefully. The stones were then taken to the maidan worksite, and pillars once again erected in their original positions, albeit in a different location.
While work on the two piers on the main entrance of the August Kranti Maidan has been completed barring some final finishing touch, the rear gate is still under construction. The process of relocation of the stones and the construction of the new entrance took four months to complete.
Earlier, the maidan’s gate had a simple metal frame. The officials added that the idea was to preserve the beautiful workmanship of the British-era architecture.
The idea for conserving the stones was first floated by additional municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide and the BMC roped in senior conservation architect Pankaj Joshi for the project.
Besides, the BMC has collected and stored these stones from other bridges to use in future for the works of heritage or historic sites.
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