22 gardens belowflyovers,skywalks

11 places across city to see 15 gardens similar to the one under Matunga flyover; 7 vertical gardens planned too

MUMBAI: After getting a good response from citizens for setting up a garden under the Tulpule flyover in Matunga in 2016, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday said it has now extended its plan to have 15 more such gardens and seven vertical gardens under the city’s flyovers and skywalks.

These spaces will come up near flyovers and skywalks at Byculla, Parel, Elphinstone Road, Worli, Bandra, Andheri, Jogeshwari, Vikhroli, Goregaon, Kurla and Chembur.

These gardens, which will cost the BMC around ₹15 crore, will provide the city an extra 6 acres of open space.

Vertical gardens or living walls are a concept where plants are rooted along a wall and they receive water and nutrients through a source fitted on the top of the wall.

The beautification of these gardens will involve providing pathways, decorative lights, lawn, jogging tracks and adequate seating.

Jitendra Pardeshi, BMC’S garden superintendent, said, “We are looking for more such lands for recreational space and considering the availability of space under flyovers, we will go ahead with the beautification plan.”

In October, HT had reported that the BMC was planning gardens under flyovers.

Another senior civic official said that they scrapped the plan of having skating rinks under some of the flyovers. He said, “We were planning skating rinks under spaces to be developed, however, it would not be feasible during the monsoon. This proposal was in the making for two years after we received a good response for the Matunga garden.”

Under its ‘gardens under flyover’ project, contractors for the work are being appointed. The civic body has floated tenders for beautifying these open spaces under the flyovers. All of the beautification work, including

vertical gardens, will be completed in three to four months after a final nod from the BMC’S standing committee and the work order is issued.

Nikhil Desai, Matunga resident and a member of F-north ward citizens forum, said, “It is a welcome move and beautifying such spaces will keep encroachments and anti-social elements away. Also, the civic body should keep a strong vigilance on the maintenance of

such projects. The one garden under the flyover at King’s Circle did not have lights and it was not being used by locals for a very long time.”

Seven of the flyovers located at Goregaon, Dahisar and Andheri

will have vertical gardens, whereas, rest of the spaces under the flyovers will have jogging tracks and pathways, seating arrangement similar to the open space under Matunga’s Tulpule flyover.