3 min readMumbaiAug 7, 2025 08:46 PM IST
First published on: Aug 7, 2025 at 08:42 PM IST
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday floated a Rs 33-crore tender for constructing a Townhall Gymkhana at the Fort area.
This will be the first ever gymkhana in Mumbai accessible for common citizens unlike the existing ones which allow only exclusive members.
The project will be initiated as per Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model which means that a single contractor will be appointed by the authorities who will be responsible for planning, construction as well as maintenance of the plot.
The gymkhana is being constructed by redeveloping an existing recreation facility that was known as the BMC’s Krida Bhavan, which was an exclusive indoor recreation facility for the civic employees.
However, this structure remained underused and over the time fell into a dilapidated state, following which the BMC has decided to revive it into a city townhall.
According to the plan the building will have a five storey structure with a glass dome on the top. There will also be a viewing deck on which will provide citizens a 180-degree view of the Fort and Azad Maidan area.
The facility will also have a cafeteria, community hall along with a parking facility. Civic officials also maintained that the facility will have indoor recreation facilities for citizens as well.
“The objective of this plan is to provide citizens a space where they can visit and enjoy recreational activities. This facility will not cater to a specific section of people and will be open to everyone. Another primary purpose behind this plan is to engage tourism in the fort area,” said a civic official.
The officials said that the BMC may also set up a museum inside one of the floors that will provide information about Mumbai’s history as well as India’s freedom movement.
“The facility will be located in a prime plot so it is quite evident that people from various walks of life including tourists will visit it. Therefore, it is the civic body’s objective to use the plot entirely,” the official added.
Civic sources said that while there has been no proposition made on entry fees yet, the final call will be taken once the project is ready.
The last date of submission of bids to this tender is on August 29 and officials said that once the work order is issued it will take at least 3 years to finish the construction.
Meanwhile, the existing sports complex will be relocated to Tulasiwadi near the Mahalakshmi racecourse, where a new state-of-the-art facility is proposed to be constructed to cater to the civic staff.
Responding to questions about the relocation of the new sports complex, officials said the Mahalaxmi racecourse area was finalised owing to its natural space as well as the proximity to other sports facilities.
The officials said that the BMC may also set up a museum inside one of the floors that will provide information about Mumbai's history as well as India’s freedom movement. (Source: File) 
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