MUMBAI: A BJP corporator wants the 'aspirational' public toilet opposite Lion Gate in Colaba torn down, calling it an illegal, incomplete structure that blocks pedestrians and flouts the BMC's own 'Pedestrian First' policy.
Makarand Narwekar has written to BMC commissioner Ashwini Bhide, additional municipal commissioner Vipin Sharma and deputy municipal commissioner Kiran Dighavkar (solid waste management). He alleged the civic body failed to provide the promised 0.9 to 1.5-metre-wide footpath near the structure.
Narwekar said the BMC had admitted, in a report to the state government, that it had violated its own pedestrian policy, yet had not removed the obstruction. The structure, he added, is still incomplete.
His fix: replace the toilet with an underground public convenience, integrated with an air-conditioned art café, escalators and other amenities. He wants the BMC to float tenders for it. Moving the facility underground, he said, would restore pedestrian space, cut street-level clutter and improve access in the busy Kala Ghoda precinct.
'Kala Ghoda has a pedestrian zone, and plans are underway for underground parking in the area. The proposed facility would further enhance its appeal as a tourist destination. I hope the administration acts swiftly to rectify past errors and uphold the BMC's commitment to pedestrian rights,' Narwekar said.
A senior civic official said, 'The demolition of the Aspirational toilet in Colaba is under consideration.'
The stretch near Lion Gate opens into the busy Kala Ghoda precinct, where footfall stays high through the day. Narwekar said the incomplete structure, together with the missing footpath, pushes pedestrians onto the carriageway, which the civic body's own policy is meant to prevent.