Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray had expressed his wish to promote sports in the city and give youngsters more and more playgrounds so that they get the opportunity to practise and excel in different sports.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is all set to start open gymnasiums in the western suburbs. At least 63 playgrounds and gardens between Bandra and Dahisar will soon have equipment that can be used for exercise.
Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray had expressed his wish to promote sports in the city and give youngsters more and more playgrounds so that they get the opportunity to practise and excel in different sports. He has asked corporators and senior leaders in the BMC to take up the issue seriously and ensure that the civic administration works to achieve the target.
The BMC is also planning to develop 108 sports grounds for budding athletes with dedicated tracks and courts by giving fresh looks to gardens and playgrounds in different areas of the city. The BMC will spend at least Rs90 crore for the project in the first phase and hire contractors to maintain the grounds. The grounds will be developed as per specifications of the Sports Authority of India for each sport.
While the city has a limited number of sports complexes run by government authorities, those under private hands are expensive for middle-class citizens. Hence, there is a dearth of adequate number of grounds and running tracks for children and young sportspersons.
All 63 locations suggested by corporators from the western suburbs have been approved by BMC's gardens department. A few of the gardens and playgrounds are Pramod Navalkar garden in Thakur Complex, Kandivli East, BMC garden opposite Yashodham School in Goregaon East, Ombale ground, MNT Compound, Meenatai Thackeray Udyan and Shiv Sena Pramukh Balasaheb Thackeray Udyan in Andheri East, Matoshri Meenatai Thackeray ground in Poonam Nagar, Jogeshwari East, Kalpataru Udyan and Shahid Hemant Karkare Udyan on Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, two gardens in Bandra East opposite buildings 45 and 70, and a garden near Kherwadi police station.
The civic body will spend more than Rs5 crore for this project and install the equipment necessary for exercise.
Last July, Dino Morea's DM Fitness Pvt Ltd had installed free-for-all open-air gyms at two spots on the Marine Drive promenade, which ran into a major controversy in December 2015. The actor had sought an extension from the civic body for letting the gyms remain on the promenade, but on getting mp response, he decided to take them off. The two gyms were inaugurated by Aaditya, actor Jacqueline Fernandes and Morea.
Recently, the civic body approved a football ground on Linking Road in Malad West, another pet project of Aaditya, at a cost of Rs3 crore.
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