The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Bhushan Gagrani on Saturday visited Mahalaxmi Temple and inspected the beautification and development works at the premises, officials said.
An official statement said, the BMC has taken up the task of beautifying and developing the Mahalaxmi Temple premises, one of Mumbai’s most important religious sites. On Saturday morning, BMC Commissioner and Administrator Bhushan Gagrani visited the temple to inspect the progress of the ongoing work.
Gagrani conducted a detailed on-site review of the project. He was accompanied by Assistant Commissioner of D Ward, Manish Valanju, and the project’s architectural consultant, Shashank Mehendale, it said.
From the Mahalaxmi Temple Trust, Chairman Dr V. N. Gupchup, and Trustees S. V. Dongre, S. S. Vaidya, S. K. Dandekar, and Manager N. V. Kambli also attended the review meeting.
The temple, located on Bhulabhai Desai Road, is a well-known pilgrimage spot in Mumbai.
“To offer better civic amenities to visiting devotees, the BMC has initiated this development project,” an official said.
Major works under the project include:
– Reorganising and redesigning the shops and stalls on the way to the temple
– Repairing and improving roads
– Painting walls with artistic murals
– Installing heritage-style street lights and urban furniture
– Putting up clear way-finding signboards
– Constructing decorative entrance arches
– Planning for better crowd management
– Adding attractive lighting and murals around the area
The official statement further said that Gagrani walked around the entire temple premises and closely inspected the ongoing works. He instructed officials to speed up all activities to ensure timely completion.
During the visit, the civic chief also examined the proposed site for a “Bhakt Nivas” (devotee lodging) suggested by the temple trust.
He reviewed the potential plans for an exit route on the rear side of the temple, towards the Mumbai Coastal Road.
Considering the large number of visitors to the Mahalaxmi Temple, Gagrani stressed the importance of providing improved civic facilities and smooth arrangements for darshan and other services. He directed all concerned departments to work in coordination and ensure high standards in every part of the project, the statement said.
