BMC plans stadium on 5 lakh sq ft Malad plot

Mumbai: Sports lovers from western suburbs have good news. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to construct a multi-purpose stadium on a more than five lakh square feet plot at Oshiwara, Andheri east. If constructed, it could be one of the biggest stadiums in the city.

According to civic officials, the 5.28 lakh sq ft plot at Ambivali, Oshiwara is marked as recreational ground in the Development Plan (DP) 2034. “The plot will be used for the construction of a multi-purpose stadium,” said Prashant Gaikwad, assistant municipal commissioner of K-West ward.

“The BMC has decided to develop 41 open spaces in the city into recreational grounds (RG) and playgrounds (PG). These open spaces have been marked in the DP 2034 for the same purpose. Of them, 25 will be developed as recreational grounds and 16 as playgrounds. The total area of these plots is about 21.80 lakh sq ft and the civic body has provided Rs 30 crore in the budget for their development,” said Sanjay Darade, chief engineer, DP.

In the RG category, major plots including the 2.22 lakh sq ft plot at Akurli, 1.89 lakh sq ft plot at Mahul, 1.48 lakh sq ft plot at Mulund, 1.35 lakh sq ft plot at Bandra, 1.03 lakh sq ft plot at Maravali and 1.02 lakh sq ft plot at Bhandup will be developed into gardens and recreational grounds.

In the PG category, the biggest plot proposed for development is the 1.05 lakh sq ft plot at Malad.

“In the earlier DP too, these plots were marked for the same purpose of RG and PG. They are in the possession of the BMC. The civic body has decided to develop the plots, where the planning committee has not proposed any change in their reservation,” said Jitendra Pardeshi, garden superintendent.