Mumbai: Civic body approves interim open space policy

Since early last year, when Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered the BMC to take back all 216 plots which had been given out on adoption basis, only 156 have been taken over by the garden department.

After getting the nod from the civic improvements committee in December last year, the general body of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) approved the interim open spaces policy on Thursday. The civic body has now decided to implement the interim policy and lease out open spaces that have been taken back even though the gardens department is yet to take back 60 plots that include those given out on adoption basis to politicians across party lines.

Since early last year, when Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered the BMC to take back all 216 plots which had been given out on adoption basis, only 156 have been taken over by the garden department. However, the process of taking them back came to a temporary halt before the BMC election that were held in February this year. A senior civic official said they were now ready to resume the process. “We are yet to take back around 60 plots, of which five are under litigation. We have finalised a list of 30 plots that will be taken out first and the process of sending notices has already begun.”

Another official said, “Now that the general body has approved the interim policy, the civic administration will begin the process of giving open spaces out on lease for maintenance. We were awaiting the general body’s approval. Following the approval, we will also be implementing the same for the remaining plots yet to be taken back. If any organisation is willing to abide by the norms, we can give them out on a 11-month lease.”

Of the plots yet to be taken back, more than 25 are allegedly controlled by politicians. Apart from Swatantra Veer Sawarkar Udyan in Borivali West and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Kridangan in Kandivali West, which are maintained by Poisar Gymkhana, led by BJP MP Gopal Shetty, the known names include the St Xavier grounds in Parel that is being maintained by Mumbai District Football Association, chaired by Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray. As per the proposal, the plots will be given out to NGOs or organisations for maintenance on certain conditions. The norms dictate that the lessee will have no right and the BMC can take it back any time. The plots cannot be put to commercial use or be used for political activities, and cannot be transferred to a third party. The policy also says the organisation will have to allot different time slots for schoolchildren and adults. It makes special mention about plots not reserved as open spaces but can be put up for maintenance.

“There are 10-12 plots that are not reserved as recreation ground or gardens, but have been levelled using debris or developed as gardens by NGOs or residential associations to prevent illegal work. The policy will apply to them also,” an official said. Alongside the interim open space policy, the general body also approved the improvement committee’s suggestion of including chairman of improvement and markets and garden committees and corporators in a committee that will shortlist and finalise organisations to whom these open spaces will be leased out.

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