Building & Centre

Municipal Corporation Building

Mumbai Corporation building is a 255 feet tall Gothic architecture building, which was completed in 1893..

Organization : The city is divided into several municipal wards. Each ward elects a Corporator once every five years and they in turn elect the mayor of Mumbai annually. The chief minister of the state nominates a sherrif every year. The state government can overrule any decision taken by the Corporation.

Viceroy, Lord Ripon laid the foundation stone for the offices of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation on December 9, 1884. The Gothic design by F. W. Stevens was selected over the Indo-Saracenic design submitted by R. F. Chisholm. It was completed in 1893, and the building has a 255 feet tall tower.

Corporation Duties : The duties of this Corporation are set out in the Mumbai Municipal Act, first passed in 1872, and amended on various later occasions. It is responsible for Greater Mumbai. The BMRDA coordinates between the BMC and CIDCO.
The Municipal Corporation is responsible for sanitation and health. In this connection it manages garbage collection, sewerage, public hospitals and the water supply. It is also responsible for setting up and enforcing building norms and for maintaining and repairing roads.

History : The Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) was created in 1865, with Arthur Crawford appointed as the first municipal commissioner of Bombay for five years.

Within a year, the Corporation had run up a debt of Rs. 140,000 and this lack of financial responsibility continued, until, in 1871, the net deficit stood at Rs. 3,770,000. Concerned citizens, led by Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, drafted and supported a Municipal Act, which was passed in 1872.

The Act provided for a Municipal Corporation and a Town Council. Half the members of the BMC and three quarters of the members of the Council were to be elected by the people. The rest were to be government appointees.
The BMC was instrumental in the development of Mahim in 1913, the expansion of the capacity of the Tansa lake in 1916 and 1921, as well as the acquiring of agricultural land around the Vihar lake in 1923 as a sanitary safeguard.

During the freedom movement, nationalists who took a consistently anti-government stand infiltrated the BMC. In 1933 the City Improvement Trust was merged with the BMC.

National Centre Of Performing Arts:

The National Center of Performing Arts was established in 1966 to preserve and promote India rich cultural heritage in classical and folk music, dance and drama.

Apart from its traditional art schools, India also has a contemporary art lineage that began in the early fifties. While pioneers like MF Hussain and FN Souza spearheaded this modern art movement, Mumbai was the cradle of these brave new aesthetes. Today, contemporary Indian art is known to the world over, which can be viewed at the National Gallery of Modern Art bang opposite the Prince of Wales Museum. Converted from an old public hall, this dynamic, three tiered structure houses collections from India's best known living artists providing a convenient overview of the country's contemporary art scenario..

Location : Opposite the Prince of Wales Museum.

Nehru Science Centre:

Located in Worli the Nehru Science Museum with sound light gallery has an attractive childrens section. It is the only place, which recreates the image of sky as seen from anywhere on earth at any time. It also has a collection of warplanes, which served the Indian air force.

Nehru planetarium was commissioned in 1977 and designed by one of India's finest architects I.M.Kadri. Nehru Centre, a trust headed by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra State, runs it.

An astronomical exhibition, comprising of 40 exhibits (transparencies and working model) explain the cosmos.
In the auditorium, a breathtaking 'Sky Show' captures the very essence of the Milky Way or Akashganga. Two hundred projectors are simultaneously trained onto a hemispherical ceiling made of aluminum. The effect is realistic and it is not surprising that the planetarium has attracted more than 3 million visitors.

The Structure : This Centre looks like something out of 1970's James Bond movie. I.M. Kadri designed this to reflect Nehru's vision of Indian modernism. It's a beautiful cylinder-shaped building that achieves unity despite depicting multiple forces pulling in different directions.