Mumbai: Mihir Kotecha, the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Mulund, has a vision for the suburb and that plan includes a golf course on 64 acres of land in Mulund East that is in the process of being reclaimed from a dumping ground decommissioned in 2018.
Kotecha said that the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the controlling body for the sport in India, has been commissioned to do a survey of the land. He said that a golf course will lift property rates in the suburb which is already a popular market for residential property in the city. "There are hundreds of old buildings in Mulund East that are destined to go for redevelopment. A golf course in the area will benefit residents as it will increase the value of buildings that can be redeveloped," said Kotecha who estimated that the golf course will create an economic windfall of 2 billion dollars, including the escalation in property prices, employment, ancillary recreation and entertainment facilities. He gives the example of Chembur East where proximity to a fertilizer plant, two oil refineries, and a power plant has not depressed property prices.
"Do you know why? It is because Chembur has a golf course," said Kotecha, quoting the instance of a luxury residential project on a former film studio where three-bedroom apartments are being offered for Rs seven crore.
Many residents are not convinced by the idea of a golf course. On Thursday, members of a political party gathered outside Mulund station to protest against the golf course plans. Sagar Devre from Prayas, a citizens' group in the area, said, "Golf is not played by many people. A day of golf can cost Rs 10,000. How many residents from the locality can afford this? This is public land and it should be used for public purposes," said Devre.
Another resident, Rajlaxmi Iyengar, said that the area desperately needs a large green space. "There are only two large open spaces in Mulund East - the Raje Sambhaji ground and the Dr C D Deshmukh Garden. The other open areas are tiny parks. The area needs a large green space with indigenous trees. Since the place is close to mangrove forests, the area already attracts lots of birds," said Iyengar.
Kotecha, however, said that the claim that the area lacked large parks is not true. "There is the Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Park right next to the dumping ground. It covers 25 acres and has a two-kilometre-long jogging track along its circumference. The garden is one of the biggest in the city, yet not many people use it. What will people do with another 64 acres of gardens?" Kotecha asked.
Devre said that the ground is used as a cricket ground. "We need spaces like the Byculla zoo or theme park that will attract people," said Devre who added that the golf course plan is being floated to attract the construction lobby. Kotecha agreed that golf is an expensive sport. "But a golf course will increase the absolute value of the properties around it," he reiterated. "In any case, land reclaimed from a dumping ground cannot be used for any construction for 12 years because of the presence of toxic gas in the ground. A golf course will not be affected by the
There is also the question whether a golf course can be built on 64 acres. According to the media devoted to the sport, a standard golf course needs around 75 acres and a medium sized turf nearly 120 acres. A golf course also requires a lot of water to maintain the turf. PGTI did not respond to calls and emails for a comment.
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