Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis puts BMC’s open spaces policy on hold

The chief minister also instructed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to immediately take back the over 200 plots that were given out for maintenance and the contract period for which was over, as well as other plots reserved as recreational grounds and playgrounds. “Ensure that these plots are available for residents of Mumbai to use and submit a report after reviewing the policy,” Fadnavis said in a remark note.

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According to the new open spaces policy, which the BMC approved earlier this week, the civic body can give out plots reserved for recreational grounds and playgrounds for adoption to private entities for a period of five years on payment of a deposit of Rs 25,000. Unlike the previous policy, the civic body will not allow any construction on these lands, though existing clubhouses on BMC land handed out under the previous ‘caretaker policy’ will remain unaffected. The most recent policy also prohibits any commercial activity on these open spaces.

However, the policy met with stiff opposition from civic activists and residents’ associations, which objected to the civic body’s move of handing over these plots to private parties instead of taking the onus of their maintenance. Some expressed fears that the private entities may grab these plots for their own gains. Critics have also opposed a condition of the policy that the BMC can select between prospective bidders for any plot based on their annual turnover and other financial factors, putting residents’ associations at a disadvantage.

The CM’s instruction to review the open spaces policy comes after a delegation of BJP leaders comprising Ashish Shelar, Ameet Satam, Yogesh Sagar, Manoj Kotak and others met him to take up the issue, even after the party had supported the Sena in the BMC while approving the policy.

The previous policy on the city’s open spaces had also met a similar fate in 2007, after a furore over these lands being taken over by trusts owned by politicians.

Fadnavis was, however, silent on whether the BMC should act on open spaces plots handed over under the 2007 caretaker policy. These include Borivali’s Vihar Sports Complex, Bandra’s MIG Club, Jogeshwari’s Matoshree Club, Santacruz’s Wellington Club, Juhu’s Ronson Foundation, Vile Parle’s Prabodhankar Thackeray Complex and Goregaon’s Prabodhankar Krida Bhavan.

These trusts, some of which are said to have the backing of political bigwigs such as legislators Ravindra Waikar, Vinod Ghosalkar and Gopal Shetty, run clubs and gymnasiums. At all these places, entry is restricted only to club members. The public can access some of the open space, albeit in restricted timings.