Rare 18th century plaque on Mumbai Central bridge to be restored

As demolition work for the 131-year-old Bellasis Road bridge was taken up at midnight on Tuesday, a historic rare marble plaque at the corner of the bridge with a mention of the 18th-century road built at the site earlier will be saved and restored by the Western Railway. The marble plaque mentions that a kilometre-long stretch named after British Major General John Bellasis was constructed in the 18th century by the poor driven out of Surat due to a famine in 1793. The bridge at the site came up around 1893 over the railway lines and connects Nagpada Junction to Tardeo, passing Mumbai Central railway station.

The bridge has turned into a garbage dump. Pics/R Venkatesh

"We shall save the historic plaque while the bridge is being demolished. It is being dismantled and rebuilt as per guidelines of IIT Bombay which submitted its report in March stating that the traffic over the bridge should be "closed with immediate effect" and the bridge reconstructed on an urgent basis. The railway portion will be executed by Western Railways and approaches will be rebuilt by the BMC," a senior railway official said.

"The historic stone plaque of the founder of this road must be saved at any cost. While iconic old bridges are bound to be replaced in public interest as per infrastructure needs, the authorities must undeniably preserve the plaque, suitably conserved, as a historical marker of the city's early history, either at the same location or in any museum," city historian R Venkatesh said.

According to Venkatesh, the historic Bellasis Road has been a key contributor to Mumbai's urban growth in its nascent years in the early 19th century, taking its name from Maj Gen Bellasis under whose orders the road was built by public subscription. "The work provided survival sustenance to a group of people from Surat who had come to Mumbai in search of a livelihood due to a severe famine in Surat. The road connected parts of the city hitherto underdeveloped, creating a vast opportunity for expansion in its heyday as 'Urbs Prima in Indis'," he added.

Another city historian, Deepak Rao said that the road played an important part in the formation of the city. "It lies in the heart of the city and connects the once glorious areas of Nagpada and Tardeo," he said.

1893
Year the bridge was completed