Mumbai: Mumbai North Central MP and Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad has opposed the BMC's proposal to convert the 8,450 sq m Bandra Reclamation football ground into a convention and exhibition centre, demanding that the existing sports ground reservation be retained. Meanwhile, footballers, coaches, residents and activists staged a peaceful protest at the historic Neville D'Souza Football Ground, urging the civic body to preserve one of Mumbai's few remaining public sports grounds.
In her letter to BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, Gaikwad said the state government had approved the Bandra Reclamation plot as an Existing Open Space/Sports Ground and Reserved Sports Ground under DP 2034 in April 2023. Altering the reservation within a few years of the plan's approval, she argued, would undermine the credibility of Mumbai's statutory planning process. She noted that the ground is a fully functional public sports facility with an artificial turf, regularly used by local residents, students, youth and sports organisations.
Gaikwad said Bandra (West), a densely populated locality, has no other fully developed public sports ground, and converting the site into an exhibition centre would permanently deprive children and young athletes of one of the area's last major playgrounds. She demanded that the existing sports ground reservation be retained, the proposed reservation change be stayed, and any decision on land use be preceded by a public hearing and due consideration of citizens' objections.
The proposal has sparked widespread opposition from elected representatives, sports bodies, social organisations and local residents. An online petition launched by the 'We Are Stronger Together Foundation' had garnered nearly 10 thousand signatures by Sunday evening. The protest drew MP Varsha Gaikwad, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Haroon Khan, local corporators, Mumbai Football Association (MFA) office-bearers.
Social activist Furkan Shaikh, who joined the demonstration in solidarity with the football community, said, "This is not a choice between development and sports. Mumbai needs convention centres, but not at the cost of its shrinking playgrounds. The overwhelming public response reflects the city's resolve to protect this historic ground for future generations."
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