Mumbai: Juhu residents demand withdrawal of parking proposal under park

Mumbai: The online petition is gaining more and more support from residents of Juhu Vile Parle Development Scheme (JVPD) and Bandra against the BMC's proposed parking lot beneath a park.

Around 2,650 people have signed to support their movement till Wednesday evening. The residents have also written a letter to the BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal to reconsider the proposal for parking under the park.

The BMC has proposed a parking lot beneath Pushpa Narsee park in Juhu and Patwardhan Park at Bandra. However, the proposal was opposed by the activists as well as residents of Juhu.

The online petition was started by Samarth Das, an architect from JVPD, which has garnered huge support.

flood-prone zone

The residents have also written a letter to the civic chief over the issue on Wednesday. “Once the park is constructed, an artificial green turf would replace the natural mud and soil that currently acts as a sponge,” reads the letter.

The letter added, “The entire JVPD Scheme area is a flood-prone zone. By construction of a parking lot at this location we will be letting go of a large catchment sponge that will further add to flooding woes of the neighbourhood.”

The residents have suggested an alternative site for the proposed parking lot, BMC yard along Irla nullah from 6th to 9th NS roads, measuring 10,000 square metres. A three-level parking lot here can accommodate more than 1,000 cars, said the residents.