The 140-year-old Bombay Gymkhana might lose its parking facility.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had recently served a notice to the club, saying that its lease agreement with the civic body is expiring.
The BMC wants to take over the area as part of its plan to beautify the Fashion Street stretch on the Mahatma Gandhi road. At present, it's an eyesore with unorganised hawkers, municipal chowkies, water tankers and many illegal structures.
According to officials, the elite club was asked to scout for another parking facility by April 1 this year. Club members then took up the matter with municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte and got an extension till they identified an alternative facility.
Additional municipal commissioner SVR Srinivas said he will take a call on the matter in the next few days.
"It is true that no parking space is easily available for the club. The footpath where they currently park vehicles is wide and we are checking if it's causing inconvenience to pedestrians," he said.
RN Ranjan, CEO of the club, however, denied receiving any notice from the BMC. "In fact, we have written to them asking for a renewal of the agreement," he said.
The club has been using the parking space since 1993, for which it pays an annual licence fee of Rs 26 lakh.
The BMC is planning a makeover of the Fashion Street by giving this stretch on Mahatma Gandhi Marg a major facelift.
dna was the first to report about the plan on September last year. The BMC's plan is to provide better pedestrian facilities and to preserve of grade I listed open spaces, like the Azad maidan and Cross maidan, on either side of the stretch between Bombay Gymkhana and Metro cinema.
The Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee had also given its go- ahead to the plan.
Club members are sore at the prospect of losing the parking space.
Former Indian cricket captain Dilip Vengsarkar, a member of the club, said that it should not be deprived of the parking space.
"The BMC should first rearrange hawkers at Fashion Street. We have been using this space for years and maintain it well. It will cause serious inconvenience to us if we lose it," he said.
Nandini Sardesai, another member of the club, said it will be unfair to the members if the BMC withdraws this facility. She, too, said the BMC should focus on clearing hawkers first.
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