Contrary to its stand of taking back 217 open spaces in the city and maintaining them at its own cost, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) may now allow caretakers of at least 27 plots designated as recreation grounds and playgrounds (RGs and PGs) to maintain them instead. The draft of a proposal to introduce this category in the BMC’s open spaces policy will be presented at a meeting of the civic body’s group leaders later this month, to allow caretakers who give the public access to the grounds free of cost and as per BMC’s norms to continue maintaining them. [related-post] Watch Video: What's making news While a primary review of plots conducted two weeks ago identified 27 such plots where the caretakers have been maintaining the grounds as per norms prescribed by the civic body, it was felt that this move could be a precedent to allow several other grounds to be retained by the private agencies maintaining them under the BMC’s previous caretaker policy for open spaces. Civic officials stated that other resident organisations and corporate organisations will also be able to apply under this category and maintain the plots if they allow free access to public. While around 120 plots have been taken back by the BMC under the new category, the civic body is open to returning some plots if associations or organisations maintaining them apply for them, and assure the BMC that all norms will be fulfilled. The norms include non-discriminatory and free access to public as per timings prescribed by the BMC. “There was a need for a new category in the policy for organisations that had not flouted any norm and were not misusing the plots. If caretakers did not flout norms and the local residents were not facing any problem, we can allow them to maintain the plots instead of spending our funds on them,” said the official. A senior civic official stated that many residents’ associations and corporate organisations had approached the BMC, asking them to reconsider their decision of taking back the plots. He added that the organisation will be allowed to put up an advertising board at the entrance of the garden, but the board will also bear the MCGM logo and be of dimensions of 1 feet by 2 feet. The official added that the caretakers will be asked to maintain the plots in a way so as to accommodate an area for children to play. Other officials stated that the civic body can save on a substantial amount if majority of plots are maintained by the caretakers. In April, the standing committee had passed a proposal of spending Rs 133 crore on hiring staff and maintenance of 237 plots. Even as the state government had announced that it will introduce a bill to make it mandatory for the BMC to maintain all open spaces in the city on its own, the civic body’s new category could mean some private agencies will be allowed to retain control of the plots that they currently maintain. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had put a stay on the open spaces policy passed by the BMC in January this year, and issued orders to take back all BMC-owned open spaces. Activists like Nayana Kathpalia, trustee of NAGAR, a citizens’ group maintaining the Horniman circle garden, questioned the reasoning behind the new move. “What happened to the state government’s stance that all open spaces in the city should be maintained by BMC? We stick to our stand that the civic body has a lot of funds and should maintain the open spaces. This new clause is just like the old policy,” she said.
