Old Vidhan Bhavan, MLA hostels to be structurally audited soon

Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) officials have been instructed to submit within a month a structural audit report of the old Vidhan Bhavan building as well as the dilapidated Majestic MLA Hostel located at Colaba.
Instructions to the effect were issued in a joint meeting attended by Legislative Council Chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagde and others, a senior Vidhan Bhavan secretariat official told PTI.
In the meeting, which was held at Nimbalkar's Vidhan Bhavan office, the status of all MLA hostels, and the old Vidhan Bhavan building and the new Vidhan Bhavan building was reviewed, the official said, adding, the existing Vidhan Bhawan building will also be structurally audited.

"The existing Vidhan Bhavan building is 34 years old and its contractor Larsen and Toubro has guaranteed that the structure will stand for 110 years. Though it is in a good condition and there is no specific rule on the number of years after which an audit should be carried out, Legislative Council Chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar has instructed us to do it for the building's safety," the official said.
There are three MLA hostels, namely the Akashwani MLA hostel located behind Mantralaya, Manora MLA hostel located at Nariman Point and the Majestic MLA hostel located at Colaba, opposite Regal movie hall, the official said.

The old Vidhan Bhavan, which is now known as the office of Director General of Police (DG) was constructed in 1865, and was known as Sailors' House during the British era, the official said.
The Vidhan Bhavan official said the Majestic MLA hostel at Colaba, which was constructed in 1896, has been declared "dilapidated" by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.