The Neville D’Souza football ground in Mumbai’s Bandra, named after the first Asian player to score a hat-trick in the Asian Games, has been at the centre of a controversy ever since the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) cleared a proposal to make way for a convention-cum-exhibition centre, triggering a series of protests.
The 2.47-acre Neville D’Souza football ground, currently leased to the Mumbai District Football Association (MFA), is one of Mumbai’s few land parcels reserved for football. But the recent BMC proposal for a city starved for space has raised questions on the earmarking of open land parcels for concretised development.
While the convention-cum-exhibition centre proposal has the government’s approval, the MFA has approached the Bombay High Court challenging the move.
Why was land reservation changed for Neville D’Souza?
Under Mumbai’s Development Plan (DP) module, land parcels across the city are reserved to secure future civic infrastructure and open spaces. And their reservation status depends on the area’s population density, which the civic body then uses to construct amenities such as schools, playgrounds, crematoriums, cemeteries and fire stations.
The Neville D’Souza football ground is a huge 2.47-acre ground, and the proposal to turn it into convention-cum-exhibition centre came from the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). It has argued that the land had originally been earmarked as a Convention Complex under the Bandra Reclamation layout approved in 1983.
However, the plot was redesignated as a playground as a football ground existed on the site at the time while preparation for the Development Plan (DP) 2034 model was underway.
The protests
Inaugurated in 2018, the Neville D’Souza Football Ground is located at Bandra Reclamation and was built to address the city’s long-standing shortage of quality football infrastructure. Since its inauguration, the ground has become a key centre for domestic football.
The ground was constructed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Development Authority (MMRDA) in line with FIFA’s standards, and was opened for use the following year.
With a seating capacity of 5,000, the Neville D’Souza football ground has hosted various tournaments, including the Maharashtra State Men’s Senior Football League, Mumbai Premiere League, and Nandkarni Cup.
Ever since the BMC cleared the proposal, hundreds of Bandra citizens, including former national footballers, have protested on the grounds every Sunday. Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad as well as Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Aaditya Thackeray, who is also the president of MFA, have written to civic chief Ashwini Bhide, urging the administration to change the reservation.
Who does the land belong to?
The lands in Bandra reclamation are owned by MHADA. Civic documents show that since 1983, the land parcel, on which the ground stands today, was originally reserved for a convention centre.
In 2015, the original reservation was altered, and the land was temporarily reserved as a public open space. Why? The authorities say it was done to protect the land from illegal encroachments. After this, walls were erected around the ground as a preventive measure.
A year later, the land parcel was handed over to the MFA. Since then, the football enthusiasts have used it as a football playground.
But in 2015, the BMC also released its 20-year development plan (DP) 2034 draft for Mumbai, projecting how the city is expected to look by 2034. It included ward-wise land reservations for civic amenities, proposed road widening and transport corridors, and land reservations for housing and open space.
It was also then that the Neville D’Souza ground’s reservation was changed to a recreation ground permanently in the civic body’s masterplan. Therefore, it was restored to the original reservation.
“The first amendment was done as a temporary measure, and giving this land a permanent ‘open space’ status in 2015 was BMC’s mistake. MHADA owns the land, and now this land parcel will be put to use at their discretion. Being a planning authority, BMC only has the right to change and alter reservations, but it doesn’t get any say to speak on its usage,” an official said.
What’s next for Neville D’Souza football ground?
The proposal will be tabled for final approval in BMC’s general house committee, where all 227 elected councillors and 10 nominated members will vote to decide the fate of the reservation. The proposal is likely to be tabled for voting during the first week of July.
Meanwhile, the court has ordered the BMC and the state government to file a reply by August 24. Ashish Shelar, Bandra legislator and state cabinet minister, has also assured that the administration will provide an alternate land parcel to the MFA.
Earlier, the BMC approved proposal to convert the Neville D'Souza football ground before the Bombay high Court stepped in. (Express Photo) 
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