120 acres of racecourse to be developed on the lines of New York’s Central Park: Shinde

“After becoming the Chief Minister, I held a meeting with the civic administration and floated the proposal of transforming the Mahalaxmi park into a world class central park. The idea is to make this place accessible for Mumbaikars to give them a respite in this fast paced city,” said Shinde during the conclave.

In July 2024, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) signed an agreement over handing over the racecourse ground to the civic authorities. The signing of the lease took place in the presence of Shinde. Out of the 211 acres of the entire plot, 120 acres is now under the BMC’s possession while the remaining 91 acres has been leased out to RWITC. The period of lease is from June 1, 2024, to May 31, 2053.

Shinde also added that no construction work will be carried out in the plot and the entire idea is to make it a world class central park-like facility that can be accessed by citizens.

“The coastal road has given Mumbaikars an open space of 170 acres, which we will link with the Mahalaxmi racecourse through an underground tunnel. At one single time, Mumbaikars will get access to close to 300 acres of open space,” Shinde said.

According to civic officials, the BMC plans to create an open green space in the 120-acre plot, which will have pathways, walkways, and sitting areas for the visitors. Civic officials also maintained that by a theme park, authorities don’t mean to create an amusement park by doing additional constructions. They also maintained that land will also not be handed over to real estate lobbies for developing them.

“It will be 200 acres of open space resembling London’s Hyde Park or New York’s famous Central Park. The ownership of the land will stay with the BMC only and no private party will have any stake on this land parcel,” said an official on Friday.

The 211-acre plot was partially owned by the BMC and the state government, which was leased out to the RWITC in 1914 for a 30-year old period. It was renewed in 1964 for another 30 years. Later, in 1994, the lease was again renewed for a period of 19 years, which got over in May 2013.

It was in 2013 that the proposal of transforming the plot into a theme park was first floated. The RWITC had applied for renewing their lease, however the state government had not been able to take any decision.

The BMC had also not charged any rent for the plot between 2013 and 2023. On July 2024, civic authorities signed the new lease agreement after more than a decade. Besides hosting derby races, the Mahalaxmi race course grounds also hosts concerts and events.

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