High there, Mantralaya

With a view to accommodate all its various departments that are scattered across the city into one single building, the state government has decided to demolish its existing ground-plus-six

storey Mantralaya Annexe building and rebuild it into a ground-plus-24 storey structure that would tower over the Nariman Point horizon at 73 metres. According to senior government

officials, the architect Raja Aederi has submitted a plan for the redevelopment of the annexe building to the state government and will be soon tabled before the cabinet for a final nod. “It

is pegged to cost almost Rs500 crore. Here, the state authority will avail the floor space of index (FSI) of five and will be able to construct at least 10 lakh sq ft of area. And, the

height of this proposed structure will be over 73 metres,” said a source, requesting anonymity. The Mantralaya Annexe building will be demolished to pave way for the redevelopment. “Parking

is a major issue and most of our offices are scattered here and there. It makes it difficult for the officials to reach on time and conduct meetings. If all the departments come under one

roof at Mantralaya, the functioning and efficiency will be far greater,” said a source. The new structure will have all state-of-the-art facilities. The building will be earthquake

resistant. It will be centrally air-conditioned with adequate space provided to each department. CP Joshi, chief engineer of state government’s public works department (Mumbai region)

confirmed that the government has decided to demolish the annexure building of Mantralaya and reconstruct a new one. “The proposal is still in the planning stage. We have to seek the

cabinet’s approval,” he said. While the state chief architect Bipin Sankhe said that he was not involved in the Mantralaya redevelopment proposal, hence refused to make a comment on the

issue. However, the senior government officials criticised the state authority for its inept planning. “They have already squandered Rs300 crore over redevelopment of the main Mantralaya

structure. Now, proposing another Rs500 crore for the annexure building is a sheer waste of public money. They should have heeded NCP supremo Sharad Pawar’s advice to demolish Mantralaya

entirely after the major fire and rebuild it again. That would have been a better plan and the structure would have looked finer and impressive. Now, the main Mantralaya buildings will look

shorter than the new annexure,” he alleged, requested anonymity. Pankaj Joshi, executive director of Urban Design and Research Institute (UDRI) said that the state authority should not

disturb the skyline by constructing a skyscraper at Nariman Point. “The height restriction in this area is 24 metres. If the proposed structure height is more than that, they have to submit

the plan to the heritage panel for its approval,” he warned.