Shivaji Park Residential Zone - History

History

The Dadar-Matunga-Wadala-Sion scheme of 1899-1900 was the first planned suburban scheme in Mumbai (formerly Bombay).

In those days, Bombay only referred to the Fort (Mumbai precinct)area around Colaba. Nana Chowk and Tardeo were in the centre and hence those area became known as Bombay Central. Shivaji Park then was a stretch of forested land called Mahim Woods, with the only significant landmark here being the Scottish Female Orphanage, which later went on to become the prestigious Bombay Scottish School.

The Bombay City Improvement Trust conceived the development to relieve congestion in the centre of the city following the Bombay plague epidemic of the 1890s. According to the survey plan, 60,000 people were to be housed at Dadar-Matunga and an equal number in Sion-Matunga. 85,000 people were to be accommodated in the developments in Sewri and Wadala.

The plans regulated construction with emphasis on proper sanitation. No building was to be more than three storeys high, and the buildings were to have open spaces between them. The land use was planned to be a mix of residential, commercial and institutional construction. Parks and gardens were planned, and the streets were well laid out.

440 acres (1.8 km2) of land was procured and leased to the government for selling. For the first time housing cooperatives were formed to take advantage of newly developed land. The Parsi and Hindu colonies in Dadar and the Tamil colony in Matunga were developed in this way.

Dadar was 6 miles (9.7 km) away from Crawford Market by the newly constructed Mohammedali Road. The tramways were extended to the new suburb. The Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIP) constructed a bridge, now the Tilak Bridge, connecting the two suburban railways. In February 1925, the GIP opened their suburban line and started the work of electrifying the railways.

Among the institutions moved to Dadar according to the City Improvement Trust plan were Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute, now called Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute and King George School, now called the Indian Education Society's Raja Shivaji High School.

Hand-in-hand with the development of the northern suburbs in the 1930s there was a lot of activity in the Dadar-Matunga area. The Hindu colony, north of Tilak Bridge, expanded up to Amber's Marge (then Kingsway) and around the Khodadad Circle. These developments were completed by 1935. In 1937 Ramnarain Ruia College was founded and in 1939 the Ramniranjan Podar College (both run by SP Mandali), thus completing the transition of Dadar from a residential suburb into a variegated enclave.

By 1937 Shivaji Park and the surrounding areas including the Shivaji Park Residential Zone were developed. Shivaji Park was to become an important stage in the political drama which led up to India's independence, and later the political history of Bombay unfolded in the same park.

The famous Sindhi colony (Kataria Colony) in Shivaji Park was established when Mukhi Late Shri Thakandas H Kataria purchased a plot of land at Cadell Road, Shivaji Park. Today, the society houses 150 Bhagnari families of Sindhi descent, and is one of the largest Sindhi colonies in Mumbai.

Post independence, numerous other political events such as the formation of Shiv Sena and other important political rallies have been held at or around Shivaji Park.

Shivaji Park is regarded as the cradle of Indian cricket, with its innumerable cricket academies like those of the late Anna Vaidya and Ramakant Acharekar which produced several international cricketers for India, including famous names like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Ajit Agarkar, Pravin Amre, Sandeep Patil, Vinod Kambli and Sanjay Manjrekar.