With the 10-day notice period for evicting open spaces coming to an end, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday took over 34 out of total 36 plots, which were served notice for handing over as their agreement had expired. The remaining two plots would be taken over by Friday, said civic officials.
The civic body aims to take over 216 open plots in the city, which were given to private parties under the previous adoption policy. As a first phase of this drive, the BMC had last week served notices to 36 organisations across the city asking them to hand over the open spaces.
Under this drive, the Sane Guruji Udyan, admeasuring 4,500 square metres and located near the Siddhivinayak Mandir at Prabhadevi, had become the first open space on Monday to be taken over by the BMC.
However, two organisations, the Mumbai Education Trust, Bandra, and the Education and Welfare Foundation, Nagpada, had moved the high court against the BMC’s directives to hand over the plots. As the HC declined to interfere in the matter, the civic body started the process of taking over the plots.
According to civic officials, 34 open spaces were taken over on Thursday and the possession of remaining two plots, caught in court matters, would be taken on Friday. These 36 plots include the General Arunkumar Vaidya Kridangan at Bandra Reclamation, Bandra, Horniman Circle Garden, Sane Guruji Udyan, Prabhadevi, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak Kridangan, JVPD scheme and Narottam Patil Ground, Dadar.
Additional municipal commissioner S.V.R. Srinivas, who is in charge of the garden department, said, “With the court verdict coming in BMC’s favour, we now don’t see any hurdle in taking over all the 216 open spaces in the city. We have deputed our staff in all the plots, which have been taken over. The process of taking possession of other plots will be carried out phasewise.”
After the new open space policy was passed in the BMC, CM Devendra Fadnavis, taking note of public wrath, had asked the civic body to review the policy. He also asked the BMC to take back 216 open plots, which were given on the previous adoption policy and whose agreement is not valid anymore. The list of these plots, released by the civic body, includes many prominent recreational grounds and playgrounds (RGPGs), which are maintained by politicians’ trusts, corporates and gymkhanas.
However, civic activists have opined that the BMC has acted in a haphazard manner. Nikhil Desai from Matunga said, “The BMC has taken over these open spaces without proper thinking. It should have first taken over those open spaces where the adopter was violating the contract conditions. In F/N ward, a temple was built inside the garden at Sion by the adopter. But they are yet to be sent notice.”
Civic officials said that there was some opposition at four plots and they had to be forcefully taken over from adoptee. They were the Bhagwandas Todi Children Park, Marine Drive, C ward, Sankalp Siddhi Ganesh Maidan, Motilal Nagar, Goregaon (W), Gajanan Gupta Charitable Trust, TDR plot bearing CTS No.1195/12, Malad(w) and PG plot opposite Universal High school, Dahisar.
