Over 100 residents gathered at the BMC headquarters for the meeting and unanimously thwarted the policy.
If resident groups have their way, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will have a tough time implementing the open space adoption policy. In the first day of the suggestion and objection meeting on Thursday, citizen groups were up in arms against the revised policy for maintenance of open spaces.
Over 100 residents gathered at the BMC headquarters for the meeting and unanimously thwarted the policy. The major bone of contention was the allotment of 25% of the land to private players who maintain open spaces.
The policy states that as per the adoption scheme, the 75% of open space will be for the residents and the rest can be exploited commercially by those who adopt the park.
To settle the issue, residents proposed that there should involvement of citizen's groups and corporates. The latter , as part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) will be asked to develop a garden.
"The people should be given the authority to approach the corporates to develop an open space under corporate social responsibility. There should be zero involvement of politicians. The corporates should be asked to maintain it, in lieu of which they get promotion or brand building," Sherley Singh, a Juhu resident and an open space activist.
Meanwhile, citizens also voiced that the clause and term adoption or caretaker should be abolished from the policy. They suggested that the policy should be called open space maintenance policy.
Citispace Convener Neera Punj stated that the policy is exploitative and there should not 25% land allotment for the commercial players.
Jaipal Shetty, member of the F-North citizen forum reiterated the stand. "No construction for commercial purpose should be done in the open space. The place should be a green space for citizens and nothing else." The citizens also proposed that there should a uniform draft under which a design layout should be prepared.
"This draft will be helpful in approaching the corporates," added Singh. Additional Municipal Commissioner Aseem Gupta refused to comment, "It was only a hearing. We will listen all the suggestions and objections. Then, will change the policy accordingly," he said.
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