Beautification work of Shivaji Park set to begin, residents protest to remove red soil

The additional layer of soil, they said, gets displaced by wind, leading to severe dust pollution. Residents have flagged a rise in respiratory illnesses, particularly among vulnerable sections living in the neighbourhood.

To address the issue, the BMC had planned grass plantation on the soil and roped in IIT Bombay to conduct a study a few months ago. However, with no visible progress, residents along with members of the Shivaji Maharaj Park residents’ ALM on Sunday staged a silent protest, urging authorities to remove the red soil at the earliest.

“Even though they had a meeting with IIT Bombay three months ago, they are yet to find a solution. We want a reason why the red soil pollution has not been taken up as an immediate priority despite constant follow up. Residents are suffering from respiratory health issues,” said Vaibhav Rege, a local resident.

Nearly 60 residents participated in the protest and signed a letter of complaint, which is set to be forwarded to civic chief Bhushan Gagrani in the coming week.
Responding to queries, senior civic officials from the G North ward office said IIT Bombay’s soil investigation is still underway.

“Officials from IIT Bombay have already collected the soil sample. After their investigation is complete, they will submit their final report on the basis of which we will take the next course of action,” said a senior official.

Meanwhile, officials said work on beautification of the periphery around Shivaji Park is slated to begin next week. In November 2025, the civic body had first invited tenders for a plan aimed at giving a facelift to the iconic ground.

Pegged at a cost of Rs 2.25 crore, the project will involve beautification and illumination of the heritage precinct. “We will undertake civil works to repair the katta (seating area) as per the heritage look, fix the broken tiles, tree rounds, guards amongst other areas. The project scope will also entail illumination around the sculptures within the ground premises. All work will be carried out in the periphery of the ground,” an official said.

“We will be issuing the work order to the contractor soon after which work is likely to commence in the next week,” he added.