Afternoon news
Mumbai, Sep 30: It seems like the Municipal Corporation is taking up the cleaning of Flora Fountain in all seriousness. After the flack it received for ignoring this monument located in the heart of the city, BMC workers have been periodically ensuring that the Fountain stays clean.
On Wednesday night, there were municipal water tankers parked next to the structre and workers were washing the empty pond of the structure. Yesterday morning, the water tankers returned, the scaffolding was tied up and men had climbed right onto the top scrubbing the moss and dirt off.
But noon in true BMC style the workers had left, leaving the scaffolding, their brushes and the dozing water tanker driver behind.
If you take a close look at the structure you will find layers and layers of while oil paint. It is apparent that over the years instead of having the Fountain cleaned, it has simply been painted and re-painted upon. Sadly, it is now the Heritage Committee has realized this and is finally having the mess undone.
Abha Lambah, conservation architect said that what the BMC is presently doing is having the algae and moss removed from the structure. “This is part of the pre-monsoon clean up done by the local A-Ward office. This cleaning will be done regularly, now that the rains are over,” she said.
She added that one of the main problems was the layers and layers of oil paint and once that has been removed, it will be easier to keep the structure clean. And once it has been restored to its original glory, the ward office will ensure that the maintenance will be done by people who understand its heritage value. Yes, sponsorships will be invited but only after the municipal corporation is sure that there will be no misuse of the freedom given.
It has been quite a while since Flora Fountain (which was pristine white!) has been forgotten. Thanks to the indifference of the authorities, it was a shocking sight especially for office goers in the area to see the structure turn into a green, ugly mess. Hopefully, now it will be a different view.