Watch | ‘Gift for Mumbaikars’: CM Eknath Shinde announces 120-acre Central Park at Mahalaxmi Racecourse

Assuring that the race course will continue to exist, the Maharashtra CM said that the International Central Park will benefit all people living in the city.

“Where can you find a big garden in Mumbai? We have demanded 120 acres of land from them (Royal Western India Turf Club). Along with that, there will be 200 acres of reclaimed land of the coastal road in Worli.. thus a big central park spread over 320 cores will be built in Mumbai,” he said.

He added that this move will increase the green cover of the city and will be a place of pride for Mumbai as well as Maharashtra.

“This will be an oxygen park. No building no construction will be there. Children can come and play there, and everyone from the women to the elderly can come there and have a good time,” he said.

“Our effort is to make Mumbai the number one city in the world and the central park will prove to be a boon for the people,” he said.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had proposed to transform a part of the Mahalaxmi Race Course into a “theme park”. Last week, a majority of members of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) gave their nod to a proposal mooted by the BMC that stipulated that the lease of the century-old race course would be extended on the condition that the club hands over 120 acres of the 211-acre race course to the BMC.

On January 29 and 30, a total of 708 members participated in voting on the BMC’s plan. Of these voters, 540 expressed support for the proposal, while 168 were opposed.

Suresh Sanas, chairperson of RWITC, told The Indian Express that the primary motive behind member’s voting in favour of the BMC’s proposal was to ensure that the existing lease gets renewed.

“While the race tracks, helipad, grandstand, and certain horse stables will fall under the 91-acre portion which will stay with the racecourse, the remaining 120-acre parcel will accommodate jogging tracks, additional stables, the parking area, and a portion of the lawn,” he said.

Environmental activists had expressed concern about whether the space would be used for construction or any kind of development, reducing the open spaces in the city.

Former BJP corporator Makarand Narwekar also wrote to the BMC and asserted that the Mahalxmi Race Course was a rare open space which was well-maintained and utilised by the public.

“Schoolchildren are taught polo and horseriding here, which happens in no other city in Maharashtra. The BMC should responsibly come out and clear the concerns of the public at large. There is still a question about whether this development plan is necessary. The BMC should act as an auditor of open space and not as an owner. There can’t be a better use of this space other than what’s happening right now,” said Narwekar.

Municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on January 18 had given a presentation to the members tabling his proposal of creating the park, where he had stated that no civil construction would be taken up in the plot which the BMC is set to take back from the authorities. He also maintained that the primary objective of setting up a park is to ensure that the land parcel becomes universally accessible.

Chahal later clarified that the civic body will purely develop the space as a public garden and not a “theme park”. “To avoid any confusion that the space is being converted into an amusement park, we want to clarify that the proposal is to develop a ‘Mumbai Central Park’ and no amusement parks. This will be open to the public and will be modelled on the Hyde Park in London or Central Park, New York. People can come and spend as much time here without any hesitation,” he said.