Mumbai: The residents of Bandra have alleged that the BMC, other than proposing underground parking below the Patwardhan Park, Bandra West, also has plans to construct a building over the existing garden.
Three Bandra residents, Zoru Bathena, Samarth Das and Alan Abraham, who had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court, have sought the court’s permission to amend their petition and add additional information received by them under the RTI. They have sought directions to restrain the BMC from constructing an underground parking lot below Patwardhan Park.
Report contents as per plea:
According to the plea, the Road and Traffic Department of the BMC had appointed M/s Structwel to prepare a feasibility report for the underground parking facility. The report contains “completely erroneous facts about the parking availability in the vicinity and, shockingly, reveals plans for an overground building over the existing garden”, read the amended plea.
M/s Structwel's letter dated February 6, revealed that the BMC officials directed its consultants to plan for an overground building for a parking on the garden plot, on the basis of which the consultant has suggested the change of reservation of the land from 'Recreational Ground' to public utility for parking, claims the petition. It also mentions BMC’s internal letter dated February 10 which points out that the proposal for an over ground structure has also been requested to be processed.
The plea states that the parking proposal has been initiated by a local MLA; and citizens have invited him, several times, for a public discussion about theproposal. “However, the elected representative has chosen not to meet with citizens, for reasons best known to him. This too, adds to the petitioners' suspicion that the eventual plan of constructing overground buildings on the park remains a possibility,” the plea alleged.
Residents allege respondents had deliberately closed public access to the playground area of park
The residents have alleged that the respondents had deliberately closed public access to the playground area of the park to give a false impression that it has always been a vacant plot and that it is not being used as a part of the park. “In fact, respondents had taken extreme steps for removing children's play- swings & slides and breaking the children's skating ramp to falsely represent that this is an undeveloped garden,” the PIL alleged. In addition, the respondents dumped construction material on this plot.
Citing response they received under the RTI, the petitioners have said that a cancellation report was filed by the BMC’s deputy chief engineer in December 2012 which stated that due to BMC’s policy guideline, plots under the civic body, which are already developed for gardens should not be considered for underground parking proposal as far as possible.
Based on the report, a tender issued by the BMC in 2018 for underground parking was cancelled.
Pertinently, the letter dated June 23, 2020, rejected an alternative plan to construct a parking lot for less than 200 cars as “not desirable” and therefore, cancelled the earlier tender.
Proposed underground car park
The present proposed underground car park is said to have 190 cars. The plea questions as to how this became desirable now.
Taking over of the park for construction of buildings for the parking lot and for other purposes under the garb of underground parking will be a “death-knell for open spaces and public gardens/recreational grounds” in the city.
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