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  Metros   Mumbai  30 Jul 2018  SoBo’s lost tram tracks to resurface

SoBo’s lost tram tracks to resurface

THE ASIAN AGE. | BHAGWAN PARAB
Published : Jul 30, 2018, 1:17 am IST
Updated : Jul 30, 2018, 1:17 am IST

The BMC has appointed Vikas Dilawari as a consultant for the beautification and restoration of Flora Fountain.

(Representational image)
 (Representational image)

Mumbai: Mumbaikars will now get a glimpse of the city's famous tram service, which was terminated in 1964, at Flora Fountain. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has uncovered the remains of the tram tracks underneath a road and has decided to preserve them as a part of its Flora Fountain beautification project.

According to civic officials, they stumbled on to the tracks, which are more than 50 years old, while repairing the roads for the beautification project. They were uncovered underneath a road near Flora Fountain and are now being removed from the road and will be preserved. “The BMC has decided to preserve these tracks for the Flora Fountain beautification project. Mumbaikars will get to revisit the era of trams in the city and get a glimpse into the city's history,” said a senior official from the heritage department.

The BMC has appointed Vikas Dilawari as a consultant for the beautification and restoration of Flora Fountain. “We are going to display the tracks in the paving itself. It will symbolise the tram that used to run through Flora Fountain. We will also put up a plaque about the tram service and its significance during those times,” said Mr Dilawari. The tram service was introduced in  1874. Initially, horses pulled trams but were replaced by electric engines in 1907.

On March 31, 1964, the service was withdrawn. The Colaba corner was the main junction of the city’s tram network that would run from Colaba to Pydhonie via Crawford Market. To ease rush-hour traffic, double-decker trams were introduced in September 1920.

According to civic officials, the Flora Fountain beautification project is underway in full swing.

The project has been divided into two phases. The first phase includes beautification of the surrounding area, tiling, stainless steel sitting arrangements and illumination, while the second phase will include, restoration of  Flora Fountain along with laying of marble tiles and repairs of the fountain and the pumping system.

“The paving, which is made up of basalt rock, will be built around the fountain. It will be spherical in shape and tourists can sit or stand to view the beauty of the structure,” said the civic official.

Flora Fountain is a grade-I heritage structure located at the junction of D.N. Road at Hutatma Chowk in Fort.

The fountain, which belongs to the BMC, has been carved from Portland stone. Built in 1864, the structure is a fusion of water, architecture and sculpture, and depicts the Roman goddess Flora.

Tags: brihanmumbai municipal corporation (bmc), tram service