People power reclaims 6-acre park in Mumbai

They struggled for years against land sharks and a slow moving civic machinery. But the residents’ campaign to reclaim a plot reserved for a park on Yari Road, Andheri, has finally yielded the desired results. The six-acre plot, owned by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has now been transformed into a park, complete with slides, swings and a joggers’ track. It was thrown open to the public recently.

“The space had been lying vacant for years, much to the delight of squatters who were misusing it for activities like drinking or gambling,” said filmmaker Shashi Ranjan, who is also the president of the New Yari Road Association. The association was formed in 2006 to quash the efforts of the land mafia that was busy dumping truckloads of debris on the plot and surrounding areas.

Since then, the group has tried every trick in the book to gain civic and political attention. They held sit-ins, rallies and met the authorities with their demands for better amenities. The efforts paid off last year when the BMC swung into action and developed the park within six months. It was inaugurated by the residents themselves on January 4.

“Mumbai has very few open spaces and it would be a pity if we had lost this one too,” said Vinita Deshpande, a Yari Road resident and a mother of two.

Incidentally, the area is home to several film and TV personalities, including Shahid Kapoor, Mallika Sherawat, Sonu Nigam, Parveen Dabas and Roshan Abbas. In fact, it was Dabas who had first noticed the illegal dumping in 2006 and had brought it to the attention of the police and civic authorities.

“Fortunately, there was enough civic and political will to help us, but it was still a very slow moving process,” added Rajan, who hopes that their unrelenting efforts at pressuring the authorities and getting the job done will inspire more citizens to take up civic and environmental issues. “Most of us give up midway or become cynical. The important thing is to keep at it and ensure that we are making a difference in our own little way,” he pointed out.

Assistant municipal commissioner Ramesh Pawar has lauded the efforts of the association. “Citizens’ initiative to help curb encroachments and report illegal activities is always welcome,” he said. Pawar added that the residents’ movement was bolstered by the BMC, which undertook demolition drives against encroachments in the area and decided to develop the plot into a park.