Hold off on reclamation of 2 parks in Borivli, Kandivli: Bombay High Court to civic body

The Bombay High Court has directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to maintain status quo with regard to taking back two gardens maintained by private parties under an agreement with the corporation. The civic body has come out with a policy to take back all public parks and maintain the same itself.

A vacation bench of justices BR Gavai and BP Colabawala has directed the civic body to not take physical possession of Payade Sports Club and M/s Mandpeshwar Civic Federation, located in Borivli and Kandivli. The two associations had approached the court saying that they have been maintaining the parks for the last 30 years and no hearing was given to them before issuing the eviction notice.

Advocate Trupti Puranik, appearing for the corporation, clarified that the civic body has taken a policy decision to take back all parks in the city, and as the lease period of these two parks had expired, the notice was served. She added that there are 216 parks in the city and, as per the new policy, around 150 have been taken back.

These gardens were until now maintained by NGOs, ALMs and citizen groups or charitable organisations. Ironically, these gardens will now be maintained by private contractors until the new open space policy is implemented.

The court has now adjourned the matter till June 6 and directed the civic body to not take any coercive action.