BMC plans three-star hotel, convention center, transportation hub at defunct octroi nakas

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has planned to set up two interstate bus terminals at Dahisar and Mankhurd octroi nakas to decongest city roads.

The civic body has octroi nakas at city entry points—Dahisar, Mankhurd and three in Mulund. These nakas have become defunct following the abolition of octroi in 2017. The civic body had appointed a consultant to suggest ways to utilise the vacant land.

On Friday, the BMC’s architecture department invited suggestions and recommendations for setting up a convention centre and hotel in Mankhurd and transportation and commercial hub in Dahisar.

Additional municipal commissioner (Projects) P Velarasu said, “We are having plans to start a bus terminal where buses plying to other states and also within the state can terminate. Passengers can take buses or cabs to reach their destination. As a result, Mumbai will be decongested. Our Dahisar hub will be well connected by metro.”

Currently, outstation buses are parked at a mangrove patch turned parking lot in Dahisar West or Mumbai Port Authority land in south Mumbai. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had constructed a bus terminal in Wadala, but the idea to shift all interstate buses there could not take off.

The octroi naka plot in Dahisar is 18,869 square metres and in Mankhurd is 29,774 sq metres. The BMC plans to have a two- or three-star hotel in Mankhurd, Velarasu added.

The report submitted by the consultant to the civic body said that transportation and commercial hubs have been envisaged as mixed-use development with integration of various modes of transportation for seamless movement within the city. The project design should reflect the identity of Mumbai. The development should have a transport hub, commercial spaces, retail spaces, recreational spaces which will help to generate employment for the public as well as generate revenue for the corporation through lease/rent.

The report said that the project will have to be financially self-sustainable development with regular revenue to the BMC. The consultant has also suggested developing exhibition centres, banquets, eating houses, restaurants, transit accommodation for travellers at reasonable cost, parking lots for vehicles, recreation facilities like club and gymnasium.

The report also suggested a variety of transportation-related activities. It said that the area can also be used for CNG stations and charging stations for electric vehicles.

For the bus terminal, facilities like bus bays (alighting, boarding and idle parking), circulation area, enquiry counters, information centres, booking and reservation counters, administration office, toilets, bus service area, passenger entry-exit, cloak room, parking area for private vehicle, taxi, autorickshaw, public transport buses must be set up, the report suggested.

All buses coming from Gujarat/Rajasthan-side shall terminate at Dahisar and those coming from Pune/Goa-side to be terminated at Mankhurd.

The civic officials said they would finalise the use of land at each of the nakas. They also said the Mumbai police have alerted them that the vacant structures at octroi nakas could be used by anti-social elements.