Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
BMC’s plans for Dhobi Ghat hit heritage panel roadblock
MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corportation’s (BMC) ambitious proposal to give Dhobi Ghat, the 125-year-old in Mahalaxmi, a makeover has hit a roadblock — It is facing resistance from Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC), which wants the world’s largest open-air laundry to remain untouched.
While the heritage panel hasn’t made their decision official, it has conveyed its stand on the proposal to Santoshkumar Dhonde, assistant municipal commissioner, G south ward. For the washerman, on the other hand, a makeover is not their priority and they have other pressing issues such as water shortage, gas lines to boil water etc. The BMC’s proposal was to paint the walls, construct roofs over the washing lines and tidy up passageways. Plans were also afoot to remove encroachments, and open the entire laundry, one-third of which is currently covered with sheets, to the sky. Dhobi Ghat is estimated to wash a half a million pieces of clothing every day in Mumbai.
This makeover proposal was awaiting MHCC nod as the stones or wash pens on which the dhobis flog, scrub and dye clothes, fall under the Grade II-A heritage category.
“The Dhobi Ghat proposal for makeover has hit a roadblock over no objection certificate (NOC) by the heritage committee. They are resisting the proposal and have told us to let it remain untouched,” said Dhonde. “The original structures and dwellings in Dhobi Ghat are not the same as it used to be. There are unauthorised encroachments. Our plan was to restore it as it was during the days of the British. We will have to rehabilitate hutments and implement a Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme.”
Dhonde added that MHCC has said that piecemeal cosmetic beautification work cannot be done with a miniscule budget; instead, BMC should take up complete revamping of the Ghat.
Dhonde said there are over 1,500 hutments and BMC doesn’t have enough budget to revamp it on such a large scale. “It looks difficult as of now. I am waiting for the MHCC to give it to me in writing but as per their discussion, they are not inclined to give us the NOC. Rehabilitating 1,500 people and implementing SRA scheme isn’t feasible,” added Dhonde.
Santosh Kanojia, chairman of the Dhobi Kalyan & Audhyogik Vikas Cooperative Society, said that beautification was a secondary concern for the washermen.
“There are other pressing issues. We face a shortage of water and have to send clothes outside for laundering. And when we boil water in the bhatti, to get rid of stubborn stains, we are fined for the smoke. The BMC would do better to provide basic water and gas lines and restore the heritage stones.”