August 18, 2025: In 2007, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced plans to redevelop Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo, commonly known as Rani Bagh, into an international-standard zoo at a cost of Rs 433 cr. The announcement alarmed many Mumbaikars, particularly a small group of women passionate about natural history and botany.
Forming a committee in 2007, and later a registered charitable trust in 2012, the Save Rani Bagh Botanical Garden Foundation began a campaign to protect the historic garden. Using the Right to Information Act, the group obtained detailed redevelopment plans and, with support from architects, engineers, and heritage experts, demanded the garden’s character be preserved and the zoo’s expansion kept within existing footprints.
The activists emphasised the importance of retaining the 6.4-kilometre pathway network and preventing the garden from being transformed into a Disney-style zoo with higher entry fees. They engaged civic officials, the Central Zoo Authority, the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee, and even approached the Bombay High Court to press their case.
Key victories included the heritage committee rejecting redevelopment proposals in 2011 and 2014, and in 2016, the municipal commissioner agreed to modify the project to respect the garden’s original layout. In 2022, the Development Plan officially designated Rani Bagh as a botanical garden, with the BMC renaming it Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo.
Beyond preservation, the foundation has enriched the site with theme gardens, a butterfly garden, informative plaques, and educational programmes for children and young adults. It also publishes materials, including Rani Bagh 150 Years and a Marathi translation, and has produced documentary films and an interactive app to promote public engagement.
The foundation continues to conduct free tree and heritage walks and plans to develop a tactile garden for the visually impaired. Conservation architect Vikas Dilawari praised their efforts, calling the foundation’s campaign “phenomenal” in safeguarding Rani Bagh’s ecological, historical, and social significance.
Source: The Free Press Journal
