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MUMBAI MUMBAI LOCAL

MUMBAI, December 7, 2015

Updated: December 7, 2015 09:00 IST

More than 1,000 open spaces at risk

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SATISH NANDGAONKAR
COMMENT PRINT T

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The Oval Maidan is among the few lung spaces open to citizens. Many open spaces have
become inaccesible to people over the past few yearsPhoto: Prashant Nakwe

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The new policy, which allows Mumbais open spaces to be adopted by

public trusts and non government organisations with a turnover of
more than Rs.5 crore as caretakers, was passed by the Improvements
Committee.
Over 1,067 open plots admeasuring nearly 1,200 acres face the threat of vanishing
if the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation passes a new Recreational

Ground/Playgrounds Policy (RGPG) allowing private parties to act as caretakers,

the data from the civic body indicates.
The new policy, which allows Mumbais open spaces to be adopted by public
trusts and non government organisations with a turnover of more than Rs five
crore as caretakers, was passed by the Improvements Committee of the
Brinhanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on November 9. Though it is yet
to be passed by the house and restricts construction on the plot, the Opposition
and citizens groups fear that it could open a back-door entry to private builders
and corporate companies to take over public open spaces.
When the proposal was brought before the Improvements Committee, members
of the Opposition parties including Congress, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, the
NCP, and Samajwadi Party strongly opposed it, forcing the committee to go for a
vote. Supported by the Shiv Sena and BJP members, the proposal was passed by a
slender margin of one vote.
We lost the vote but we will oppose this tooth and nail if it is ever brought to the
house for voting. We have had instances where open spaces were given to private
individuals including political leaders, and over the years, they were developed as
private property, and remain inaccessible to the common man now. Why should
the BMC give away its land in such a way, Dilip Lande, MNS corporator and
member of the Improvements Committee told The Hindu.
He pointed out that BMC is cash-rich municipal corporation and can easily
maintain its open spaces. The budget for gardens was Rs 385 crore in 2013-14,
and the BMC used only 18 per cent of it. Even if it maintains two gardens in each
ward, it can easily spend this budget without giving this in private hands, said
Lande, who as a corporator takes care of a public garden in Kurla West. I have
been maintaining it for last eight years. It is free for anyone, and people are happy
to use it, he said.
A citizens collective working to protect citys open spaces and corporators like Mr
Lande say several political leaders acquired BMC land, and developed facilities
like gymnasiums, swimming pools that cannot be accessed by the common man.
Who can afford a Rs 5 lakh-membership to use the gymnasium and the
swimming pool? In contrast, a BMC-run swimming pool facility near Odeon
cinema in Ghatkopar has an entry fee of Rs 25 and is used by common people,
Mr Lande said.