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Mumbai to get its own giant Eye and wax museum

A giant Eye, a wax museum and a memorial for two heroes of India's first war of independence are some of the tourist attractions the municipality is planning.

  • By Pamela Raghunath, Correspondent
  • Published: 23:32 October 15, 2008
  • Gulf News

Mumbai: A giant Eye, a wax museum and a memorial for two heroes of India's first war of independence are some of the tourist attractions the municipality is planning.

Just like the eight-year-old London Eye - a giant rotating wheel that offers a bird's eye view of that city - and the historic Madame Tussauds wax museum have become symbolic of London, the ruling Shiv Sena at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is keen on replicating them to add colour and verve to Mumbai.

Ravindra Waikar, Chairman of the BMC Standing Committee, said even though Mumbai is visited by thousands, there is hardly anything to see here. "By developing these projects, we hope people will get to know more about the city and enjoy it as well."

The the 200-metre Mumbai Eye will be constructed in Bandra near Band Stand.

The wax museum will be built at Girgaum Chowpatty, in collaboration with London's Madame Tussauds. A panel will decide on the personalities to be featured here.

The BMC is planning a memorial near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus to honour Mangal Gadiya, a Hindu, and Sayed Hussain, a Muslim. The two men were shot and killed by the British near Azad Maidan in the 1857 war.

The BMC has further approved the Akshardham's Temple Trust's proposal to construct two gates at Dadar Chowpatty that will consist of 100,000 Ganesh idols.

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