Mumbai: The state fisheries department will soon appoint a consultant for a new design concept and feasibility study of the iconic Taraporewala Aquarium on Marine Drive. The department has invited consultants through an Expression of Interest (EOI). The fisheries department finalised a plan for a new building to replace the old structure, which was declared unsafe in 2022, following a structural audit by the state’s Public Works Department (PWD). The estimated cost was around Rs 296 crore for a six-storey building with a total built-up area of over 20,000 square metres, featuring state-of-the-art aquatic exhibits, education zones, and public amenities. However, officials said that since the plan finalised in April didn’t have aquarium expertise, so it was scrapped.Fisheries minister Nitesh Rane said internationally renowned companies are interested in the project, and a world-class consultant will be appointed soon to take the project forward.The over 75-year-old aquarium was shut during the Covid lockdown. “The April plan was made in-house and didn’t have aquarium experts in it. Now, the consultant will prepare a Detailed Project Report and also act as a Project Management Unit. So this will be a holistic plan,” said a senior fisheries department official said. Rane told the Legislative Council in July that the state has sanctioned Rs 350 crore for this work. “The work, involving the appointment of a project management consultant and a New Zealand architect, is expected to take 1.5 years. The new state-of-the-art aquarium would attract tourists from around the world,” said Rane.Officials said Taraporewala Aquarium is housed in an Art Deco building with soaring lines and aquatic motifs. When it was shut in 2020, more than 500 aquatic species were shifted to aquariums elsewhere. The now-scrapped plan had proposed a new, 12-storey building to house an aquarium floor measuring 6,500sq m and a main tank with a capacity of 3.5 million litres of water. It was also going to include a restaurant, office space for the state fisheries department, private offices for rent, and parking space for 140 vehicles.The existing aquarium got a new variety of fish in 2015.
