Maharashtra govt’s Mahalaxmi Central Park proposal under fire from city architects

The proposal envisions converting the South Mumbai racecourse into a massive public green space called Mumbai Central Park. The plan would create a contiguous open area of nearly 300 acres by linking the racecourse land with coastal land reclaimed during the Coastal Road project.

According to official presentations, the park will remain green at the surface level, with only walking paths and landscaped zones. The historic racetrack and stables are to be preserved.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has described it as a “300 acre oxygen park” and said it would be the “biggest gift to Mumbaikars.” “The racecourse, once accessible only to a few, will now belong to the city,” he said.

A key component of the proposal is a 10 lakh square feet underground sports complex beneath the park. It is planned as an international standard facility with amenities for aquatic sports, boxing, basketball, gymnastics, skating and traditional Indian sports such as kabaddi and kho kho.

The project also includes a 1.2 kilometre underground tunnel connecting the park to the Coastal Road and the Metro Line 3 Nehru Science Centre station. Underground access to parking facilities is proposed to reduce surface traffic congestion. Other features discussed include a city forest, botanical gardens, concert lawns and cultural event spaces.

The racecourse land is partly leased by the Royal Western India Turf Club to the civic body, and recent cabinet decisions have cleared the way for opening portions of it for wider public use.

Architects raise concerns

While welcoming improved access, the architects have objected to the scale of construction proposed beneath the ground.

“We welcome any proposal that genuinely improves public access to the Racecourse. But we are concerned that what is being proposed goes well beyond access and that its full implications have not been placed before the public,” the letter states.

They stressed that the Racecourse is already public land.

“The Mahalaxmi Racecourse is not private land. It belongs to the city. Citizens have long used it for walking, exercise, and recreation. Improving access to it is welcome and right. But access does not require excavation. Opening the gates to this ground does not require the construction of underground complexes beneath it.”

Open space and flooding worries

The letter highlights Mumbai’s shortage of open space.

“The globally established norm is 9 sq.m of open space per person WHO. The accepted figure for Mumbai is approximately 1.2 sq.m already a fraction of what a liveable city requires.”

“In this context, the loss or degradation of any large public ground is not a minor matter. It is irreversible.”

The architects argue that the Racecourse is one of the city’s last large natural grounds and plays a crucial role in absorbing rainwater in a flood prone coastal city.

“Natural ground absorbs rainwater, allows groundwater recharge, and reduces flood risk in the surrounding area. These are not incidental benefits they are critical urban infrastructure functions.”

They warn that constructing basements and underground facilities would “permanently compromise its drainage function for infrastructure that is neither necessary nor environmentally prudent.”

Questions on funding

The group has also urged the government not to build parking under public grounds.

“If the city requires additional parking capacity in this area, the correct location for underground parking is beneath roads and carriageways surfaces that are already impermeable, already built over, and whose excavation causes no additional ecological or hydrological harm.”

They questioned how funds are being made available for underground construction when the civic body had earlier cited financial constraints in maintaining open spaces elsewhere.

“We ask, in good faith if that is the case, how are significant funds now available for underground construction at the Racecourse? These two positions must be reconciled, and the public deserves a transparent answer.”

The Collective has also sought full disclosure of development rights and financial arrangements relating to the portion of land under the control of the Royal Western India Turf Club.

Concluding their letter, the architects said: “Open space is not a luxury. It is essential urban infrastructure.”