The city is space-starved. The per-person open space ratio is abysmally low at 0.84 metres when the Urban Development Plans Formulation and Implementation (UDPFI) guidelines of the Union urban development ministry recommend 10-12 metres.
According to BMC's preparatory studies in the run-up to a development plan, Mumbai needs an area admeasuring 46.65 sq km to manage open space requirements, besides education, health and social amenities over the next two decades. Meaning, by BMC's own admission, the existing open space ratio will have to be increased to more than double. Mumbai's surface area is 458.28 sq km.
How many open spaces are there in Mumbai?
There are 1,052 open spaces, including gardens, recreational grounds and playgrounds. Of this, 186 are under adoption, over 700 have been developed and 160 are being taken up for maintenance by the civic garden department. The city has 170 playgrounds.
What are the main grouses against them?
Majority of city's open spaces are poorly maintained. The municipal school playground in Kurla and Kaal Maidan, Bhandup (West) are two of the worst-maintained playgrounds. Improper drainage system, inaccessible approach roads, poor security and flooding during monsoons are the frequent complaints.
What's the BMC budget?
The civic body has allocated a budget of Rs 530 crore for open spaces for the next fiscal as compared to Rs 375 crore in 2013-14. Garden department officials say they have developed more than 500 plots in the last two years. The civic body has around 700 gardeners. It has also hired private contractors to maintain 469 of its gardens.
So, what's the civic body doing?
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has to first take care of its playgrounds. A year and a half back, the civic body mooted an idea to develop all the 170 playgrounds, admeasuring 150 hectares in size. It also decided to carry out a survey to figure out what kind of sport best suits a particular playground. Given the present status of playgrounds in the city, the realisation of the plan appears to be a distant dream.
What does the draft policy say?
As per the draft policy, only those organisations having a sound financial base can adopt and maintain big parks. Interested parties will have to
show a turnover of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 5 crore per year, which should be consistent over the last five years. Organisations wanting plots for
adoption should also have a horticulture expert.
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