BMC to install replicas of ‘7 Wonders of the World’ in Mazagaon garden as part of 2 crore revamp

The civic body has decided to revamp the century-old Joseph Baptista Gardens in Mumbai’s Mazagaon area, a plan which also entails the installation of miniature versions of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has already begun work on the Rs 2.6 crore project and is hopeful of completing it by mid-2018.

As a part of the revamp, the civic body will beautify the entire garden and put up replicas of the seven wonders, namely – Taj Mahal (India), Statue of Christ The Redeemer (Brazil), State of Liberty (USA), Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italy), The Colosseum (Italy), Eiffel Tower (France) and the Chichen Itza Pyramid (Mexico).

Each miniature wonder will come up at designated areas inside the 5.4 lakh sq.ft civic garden. The replicas will include a brief history of the monument and be decorated with special lighting and effects.

The idea was reportedly mooted by former corporator Yamini Jadhav, whose husband Yashwant Jadhav is a sitting corporator and the Leader of the House.

The Joseph Baptista Garden, also known as the Mazagaon Garden among locals, was built between 1880 and 1884 by then Municipal Commissioner of Bombay, John Hay Grant.

While the space was originally named after Grant, it was renamed after freedom fighter Joseph Baptista in the years following India’s independence in 1947.

The garden lies atop Bhandarwada hill, behind the Dockyard Road railway station, at a height of 100 feet above the sea level and offers a panoramic view of the Mumbai harbour. It also houses an artificial waterfall and a large playing area.