Gate of the August Kranti Maidan to be beautified with stones salvaged from British-era bridges

In order to preserve the legacy of Mumbai’s architecture, the civic officials decided to reuse them to beautify the entrance to the August Kranti Maidan where Mahatma Gandhi and other top leaders of Congress gave the clarion call of the Quit India Movement on August 9, 1942.

“While demolishing the Reay Road ROB, we noticed some very beautiful, crafted or semi-crafted stones of various shapes and sizes making up around 8-10 main pillars of 20 feet height that would have been lost forever. We decided to 'recycle' them for alternative use,” a senior officer of the BMC's Heritage Conservation Department told IANS.

The transportation of the stones and the construction of the new entrance at the historic ground took four months to complete.

As per the initial plans, the August Kranti Maidan was supposed to have a simple metal frame gate but the officials decided to preserve the architectural heritage of Mumbai and repurpose the stones.

The idea was first proposed by additional municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide and the BMC appointed senior conservation architect Pankaj Joshi for the project, as per an Indian Express report.

The work on the two piers on the main entrance was completed and some final finishing touches are still underway at the rear gate.

According to the officials, stones from other demolished bridges like Carnac Bridge and Delisle Bridge were also collected and preserved. The BMC plans to use them to construct similar structures to remind people of Mumbai's rich legacy.