Cracks were found on the surface of Mumbai’s Gateway of India during inspection, even though the structure continues to be in good shape, the Centre has informed Parliament. The Gateway of India is not a Centrally protected monument. It comes under the purview of Maharashtra’s Archaeology Department, which will undertake the repair project estimated to cost Rs 9 crore at the century-old site. Stating this in Parliament on Monday, Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said, “(A) few cracks were found on the surface during the inspection. The overall structure was found to be in a good state of preservation.” As per estimates, the monument gets more than a thousand visitors every day, which multiplies manifold during weekends and tourist seasons. The arch-monument was built to commemorate the arrival of George V, the first British monarch to visit India, in December 1911. The construction was completed in 1924. Reddy’s statement was in response to a joint question in Lok Sabha by Shiv Sena members Dhairyasheel Sambhajirao Mane, Prataprao Jadhav, Shrirang Barne, and Sanjay Mandlik, and BJP MPs Bidyut Baran Mahato and Sudheer Gupta. The members had asked whether “a recent structural audit of the Gateway of India, Mumbai, has revealed cracks along the facade, which is a cause of concern for the government”. They also sought to know whether the Union Culture Ministry has received any report on the issue. Reddy said no report has been submitted to the Centre in this regard. “The Gateway of India, Mumbai, is not a Centrally protected monument. It is under the protection of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Maharashtra,” the minister stated. Reddy told the House that the government has not received any restoration proposal for the monument.
