BMC razes 267 slums inside Mahim Fort

Under its fort restoration project, the BMC aims towards renovating all the forts in Mumbai to make them suitable for tourism. Earlier in October 2022 the BMC carried out the first phase of demolishing the slums from inside the periphery of the fort and this week, the final demolition drive was taken up. Civic officials said that currently, there is no slum or encroachment left inside the fort premises.

Civic officials said that there were 267 shanties inside and around the fort, in which nearly 3,000 people resided. The officials said that the fort is in a dilapidated condition and posed a threat to the residents.

“The encroachment inside the fort started in the 1970s and many of the shanties were created by using bricks and concrete foundation. These affected the core strength of this structure and we decided to remove them,” said an official. The civic official said that a survey was carried out to identify the eligible beneficiaries and out of the 267 families, 263 qualified for rehabilitation and the BMC has already initiated the process of relocating them under Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme.

Civic officials said that a structural assessment and survey of the entire fort’s structure will be carried out, based on which the blueprint of this project will be carried out. The officials said that a heritage architect is being appointed for the same.

“Since several parts of the fort have been dilapidated, we will repair and reengineer them, for which identifying the stones and original materials used for construction needs to be done. We will try to restore the overall outlook of this fort into its original form and also ensure it is illuminated in an aesthetic manner,” said the official.

“Information tablets will be erected that will give out information about the fort’s history and we are also exploring a possibility of a light and sound show,” the official said.