The stadium, which has so far failed to get an occupational certificate from the BMC due to fire safety lapses, is now in a mess over its parking area.
The Wankhede stadium is getting further mired in controversy. The stadium, which has so far failed to get an occupational certificate from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) due to fire safety lapses, is now in a mess over its parking area.
The stadium, which is nearing completion of renovation work, has a seating capacity of 45,000 but has a meagre parking space for 3,370 cars. But if a PIL is to be believed, the venue for the final of the World Cup tournament has none.
“To obtain clearance from the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF), the Mumbai Association of Cricket (MCA) presented false facts and deviated from the plan sanctioned for the stadium,” said former IPS officer and advocate YP Singh.
The expert appraisal committee under the MoEF stated that the stadium has inadequate parking space. The committee guideline states that the parking should be completely internalised to avoid traffic congestion near the entry and exit points of the stadium.
MCA authorities said that space for 330 cars is available in the stadium, for 1,000 cars on the university ground, for 40 cars on the hockey association ground and 2,000 cars can be parked on the footpaths.
Initially, the MCA stated that there was no space for parking. However, after the MoEF guideline, it gave false parking figures, said Singh.
The original plans submitted to the ministry mentions of four access ways to the stadium. But the MCA deviated from their plans of 2008 and only one access way is intact while the other three have been removed.
“All this was possible as Sharad Pawar was lobbying hard for the stadium. The space reserved for the recreational ground was also encroached up on in the name of indoor cricket ground, which now runs an office for MCA,” Singh alleged.
The petition further alleged that the stadium has also violated the national building code of India and the development control regulation. The stadium’s height has been increased to 29 metre. Before the renovation work the height was 16.03 metre.
“According to the DC rules, one-third of the area should have been reserved for open space. A minimum of nine metre of open space in the circumference of the stadium should have been reserved. But this too has been conveniently overlooked,” said Amit Maru, the petitioner. The stadium, however, received environment clearance in June 2009.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}