Mumbai: Residents of Bandra (West) have approached their local representative in their latest bid to scupper the BMC’s plan to build a three-storey car park below Parwardhan Park.
The residents recently visited the office of their MLA, Ashish Shelar, and made representation. Former minister and Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray also met the residents and supported their movement.
The BMC recently extended the deadline to submit tenders for the car park for the third time, to April 24.
Earlier, residents had called a public meeting in the park
The residents had called a public meeting in the park to discuss the issue. However, civic officials did not turn up. So the residents visited Shelar’s office to enlist his support.
“The BMC wants to show that it’s not a park but barren land. They also dumped some material in the park. We will not allow them to destroy the park,” said Zoru Bhathena, an activist.
Asif Zakaria, a former corporator from Bandra, urged BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal to conduct a public hearing. “There is an urgent need to create more parking spaces in the city. But these well developed open spaces are priceless. The BMC should listen to the residents and come up with a holistic plan,” Zakaria said.
"BMC has stopped listening to people"
“As I was listening to them, I realised that, unfortunately, over the past five-six months the BMC has stopped listening to people and answering their queries. The BMC only wants to help the contractors, who want to make money out of Mumbai,” Thackeray tweeted after meeting the residents.
Assistant Municipal Commissioner of H West ward, Vinayak Vispute, was not available for comment.
The BMC floated a tender to build a car park beneath an open plot behind the park on March 6. The estimated cost of the project is Rs75 crore. The civic body will construct a three-storey car park to accommodate 288 vehicles.
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