BMC’s ‘open spaces’ plan fuels turf war

Vikas Chandra Rastogi, Secretary to the Governor of Maharashtra, said, “I’m not aware of any discussion that the BMC had with us before declaring this area as a potential open space. Entry is regulated to Raj Bhavan because of security as we host the Prime Minister and President here and this area houses the permanent residence of the governor. Only those who need to meet a Raj Bhavan official can entry after police verification. This is not a park where people can come in.”

DOONGARWADI
(Tower of Silence), Malabar Hill
Doongerwadi is a 55 acre plot in Malabar Hill that houses bunglis (prayer halls) for funeral ceremonies, and five dakhmas (Towers of Silence), where bodies are laid. Mumbai’s Parsi-Zoroastrian community traditionally disposes of its dead by leaving them exposed in the Tower of Silence.

Dinshaw Mehta, chairman of Bombay Parsi Panchayat, said, “Doongarwadi was reserved as a cemetary in the previous DP. It is a place where we lay our deceased members. Also, the entire area is the private property of the Bombay Parsi Panchayat and a free hold property. People are allowed till the prayer halls, some 500-1000metres from the entrance, but beyond that non Parsis are not allowed. BMC held no discussion with us before naming it an open space and we will certainly object to it.”

Institute of Chemical Technology
(popularly known as UDCT) , Matunga
The now Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) at Matunga was established as the University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT). The institute is spread across an area of “just” 16 acre and the authorities feel that the campus is already crowded with its own students.

G D Yadav, Vice chancellor of ICT, said, “Ours is a Chemical technology institute apart from being an educational campus. According to me it will not be a good idea to open it for public as open space. The campus is an open space for our students and often crowded by them alone, where is the space for public then?”

Bhavan’s college, Andheri
Spread across 47 acres, the campus houses a school, three colleges and and one institute of management and research. The campus is currently open for senior citizens for walks.

Sudhir Chitale, director of Bhavans college, said, “Our campus is open to public especially to senior citizens however we issue identity cards to them. We also allow public to attend programs organised at our cultural centre, free of cost. Allowing public without any identification and checks in an educational institute can pose as a threat.”

Filmcity, Goregaon
Spread over 521 acres of a vast expanse of lush green land, Filmcity in Goregaon offers more than 40 shooting locations to the entertainment world. It also houses built-up air-conditioned and acoustically treated studio facilities.

According to a official from the Filmcity, though tourists are allowed to visit the institution, it is not their “priority” to make it open for public. “Though the BMC has been taking suggestions and objections from citizens, we were not informed about Filmcity being included in the list of open spaces. Allowing public inside the institution of a daily or a weekly basis would create a lot of disturbance for people shooting here and that is our first priority.”

Navy Nagar, Colaba
Established in 1796, the vast land at the very end of Colaba is a cantonment area that houses officials from the Indian Navy. The entry and exit points for the area are heavily manned by armed forces. It also houses the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

According to an official, the area can be accessed only by officials from the Indian Navy and cannot be categorised an an open space. “The area is owned by the Indian Navy and includes spaces that are completely secure and confidential. If we make it public, it might act against us, especially after the recent Peshawar incident.”

Mumbai University, Kalina
Spread across 243.23 acres, the Kalina campus was split into two when the MMRDA acquired around 11,92,112 square metres of the university’s land to build the 90-feet Vakola Link Road
in 1998.

Dr Naresh Chandra, pro-vice chancellor of MU said, “It the idea is to increase open and green spaces it is a very good step. However giving an access to public to the campus of educational and research institutes to public as open space is something to be thought about, it may pose various hazards including security threats.”