Mumbai: The BMC will soon re-float the tender for the town hall and gymkhana with a fresh proposal that will encompass a revised plan for a corporation hall intended to accommodate about 350 corporators in a tiered seating arrangement similar to that in Parliament. While the earlier proposal was to redevelop the gymkhana building opposite the BMC headquarters, corporators had sought to include a corporation hall. The tender floated earlier for the town hall is being cancelled, and a fresh tender will be issued for constructing a town hall. The shops and food stalls in the front portion of the gymkhana building will be accommodated in the new town hall structure.“We would not have been able to construct a corporation hall that could accommodate 350 corporators, as demanded by the public representatives, under the earlier tender. In the fresh plan, we intend to construct a ground-plus-five structure with a built-up area of about 38,000 square feet. The structure will have a corporation hall with tiered seating or an amphitheatre-like design and is likely to have a height of about 30 feet, which will enable us to create seating space for all the corporators. The structure will also have parking space for 70 to 80 vehicles. There will not be much open space around the structure, but it will be built by incorporating the architectural aesthetics of the heritage BMC headquarters,” said a civic official.The civic body also intends to appoint a project management consultant for the project. Corporators had earlier stalled the civic administration’s proposal to build a town hall opposite the civic body headquarters and sought the incorporation of a corporation hall (House) in the structure in view of the space constraints in accommodating the 237 corporators in the existing corporation hall.The demand for accommodating 350 corporators has been made after factoring in the likely increase in the number of elected corporators.BJP Leader of the House Ganesh Khankar has envisaged a structure that will have separate entry and exit points for the mayor, a cabin for the mayor, and space for the deputy mayor, additional municipal commissioners, group leaders, and the leader of the opposition, among others. Khankar has also sought a gallery for the press and visitors in the corporation hall, along with facilities such as a cafeteria, apart from a gymkhana and a bridge connecting the main BMC headquarters building with the town hall.
