3 years on, Mantralaya revamp plan revived 30K Sq-Ft Of Annexe Building To Be Razed To Construct 24-Storey Administrative Tower

Mumbai: Nearly three years after a project for Mantralaya redevelopment was nixed, the state government has revived the plan. It wants to raze a 30,000 sq-ft portion on the west side of the annexe building to construct a 24-storey administrative tower.      The proposal will be placed before chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and deputy CM Ajit Pawar; chief secretary Jayant Kumar Banthia has conveyed that he is "positive" about the plan. Conceptualized by architect Raja Aederi, the plans envisages the demolition of 5,000 sq-ft portion from one end of the annexe building—the end near the MLA hostel—to make way for the highrise.      The state government is apparently keen to exploit the full development potential of the Mantralaya building. A total construction of 5.5 lakh sq-ft built-up area can be undertaken on Mantralaya premises, which is entitled to a floor space index of 5.33. An FSI of 2.4 only has been used up so far.      Incidentally, Aederi also played a role in the scrapping of the redevelopment plan. After a blaze destroyed the upper floors of the Mantralaya's main building in June last year, Aederi was appointed as the architect for the restoration and revamp (R&R) of the structure. The R&R project is still on and is expected to be completed in July. The government recently decided to extend the scope of the R&R work to include the construction of executive dining facilities and eight committee rooms on the seventh floor of the main building. The entire project is likely to cost the government more than Rs 175 crore, officials said.      The plan was to take up the redevelopment proposal thereafter, an official added. Aederi and senior PWD officials had also prepared an alternative plan for a 31-storey administrative tower by tapping the open space available near the entrance gate. But with a considerable portion of the space falling under CRZ, and being used as a garden at present, officials said Banthia was not amenable to this plan.      Sharad Pawar had also said the state must consider "redevelopment of Mantralaya".  Old Plan I n April 2010, the state scrapped the makeover plan of the entire Mantralaya precinct, which was estimated to cost Rs 1,376 crore. Awarded to India-Bulls, the project was to include the redevelopment of other government buildings, such as the new administrative building, ministers' bungalows and government barracks, located in the vicinity of the Mantralaya. SET FOR A MAKEOVER: The project is entitled to an FSI of 5.33