Swanky bungalow with a sea view for Mumbai mayor

Five bedrooms, a swimming pool, private lawn, home theatre and a multi-purpose hall - these are some of the features of the sea-facing bungalow planned in front of Dadar chowpatty for the city's mayor. After handing over the mayor's bungalow at Shivaji Park for a memorial for Sena founder the late Bal Thackeray, the civic body planned an official bungalow for the mayor on a 2,745-sqm plot next to the existing spot at Shivaji Park.

The design is ready and the civic administration has sought a nod from the ruling party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Shiv Sena. Sena leaders said they would clear the designs once they are approved by Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. Tenders for construction will be floated after completing the approval procedure, said civic officials.

The bungalow, which will be built at a cost of Rs. 7crore-Rs. 8crore, will be ready in two years. It will be a lower ground+ground+one structure, of which the LG will be for parking for 13 cars. The ground floor will have a kitchen, dining room, living room, multipurpose hall/home theatre, a study and a common toilet. It will also house the office in a separate building. The first floor will have five bedrooms, with attached toilets and balconies. The total area of the bungalow, including the office and staff quarters, will be 1,100sqm.

In the 2019-20 budget, the civic body had allocated Rs. 1 crore for the construction. The plot is in coastal regulation zone II category, and has a floor space index (FSI) of 1.33.

The U-shaped structure will have the residential bungalow at the centre, with the office on one side and staff quarters on the other. The office building will have a waiting room, security room, boardroom and three meeting rooms, with pantry and toilets. The staff quarters will have a waiting room, a security room, a one-BHK flat, dormitories for men and women, toilets and pantry.

The swimming pool was added to the design later after a few Sena councillors made the demand. A senior civic official said, "The Sena leaders thought that it is needed for the post of the mayor. It will be a small 10ftx25ft pool."

The new bungalow will also have a private lawn to the north and south and a public lawn at the centre, which can accommodate around 200 people. It will have a courtyard garden measuring 7.2 x 8.95m. The south podium garden is 9.8x13.2m and the north one is 9.8x13.2m.