The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has floated a fresh tender worth approximately Rs 20 million for the three-year maintenance of 22 heritage monuments located in Fort, Colaba, and Churchgate, officials confirmed. This initiative follows recent reports highlighting the deterioration of the Fitzgerald Fountain, especially during the monsoon season, due to the expiry of its maintenance contract in March.

The new contract includes the conservation of four major fountains — Fitzgerald Fountain, Flora Fountain at Hutatma Chowk, Mulji Jetha Fountain at Ballard Estate, and Wellington Fountain at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Chowk near Colaba Causeway.

The BMC has also included the 157-year-old Cooperage Bandstand on Madam Cama Road in the project scope, alongside the Kothari Pyaav near the GPO and 16 statues — 12 bronze and four marble — that require periodic maintenance.

Scope of Work

Fountains:

Annual conservation using steam cleaning methods, cleaning of grills, plaques, and lamp posts, and fortnightly cleaning of water troughs. The Fitzgerald Fountain will also receive a yearly polyurethane coat to guard against environmental damage, with regular checks on nuts, bolts, and pump systems.

Cooperage Bandstand:

Includes maintenance of fire-retardant paint, cobblestone floors, amphitheatre steps, wooden roofing, and general premises upkeep.

Monitoring System:

A senior civic official stated that the BMC will receive daily updates via messaging apps, including photographs of work progress, to ensure transparency and timely execution by the contractor.

List of Monuments in the Tender:

Fountains:

1. Fitzgerald Fountain
2. Flora Fountain, Hutatma Chowk
3. Mulji Jetha Fountain, Ballard Estate
4. Wellington Fountain, Colaba
5. Kothari Pyaav, GPO

Bronze Statues:

1. Hormasjee Cawasjee Dinshaw – Veer Nariman Road
2. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar – Madam Cama Road
3. Sir Jamshethji Jeejeebhoy – Veer Nariman Road
4. Sir Dinshaw Edulji Wacha – Veer Nariman Road
5. Dadabhai Naoroji – D.N. Road
6. Firozshah Mehta – D.N. Road
7. Rajiv Gandhi – Cooperage Garden
8. Swami Vivekananda – Gateway of India
9. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – Gateway of India
10. Lal Bahadur Shastri – Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Chowk
11. Hutatma Memorial – Hutatma Chowk
12. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru – Churchgate

Marble Statues:

1. Mahadeo Govind Ranade – Veer Nariman Road
2. Sohrabji Shapoorji Bengali – Veer Nariman Road
3. Gopal Krishna Gokhale – Veer Nariman Road
4. Dinshaw Manekji Petit – D.N. Road

This move aims to restore Mumbai’s iconic civic heritage and ensure their upkeep through a consistent, transparent mechanism.