Listen up Mr Patil, our kids need some room to play

Kalina residents stage a protest with a rosy twist to get back their open space

On a sweltering afternoon on February 15, members of the Kalina Residents' Association found a Valentine in the collector's office in Bandra (East).

The residents were protesting the alleged encroachment of an open space in their locality by Congress MLA Kripashanker Singh along with corporator, Alice Therattil.

But this protest was novel, the residents presented collector (suburbs), Vishwas Patil, with 5,000 red roses.

Speaking about the enclosed area, marked with symbols of the Congress party, 65-year-old resident TN Bhonsle, said, “Previously, the place was a dump yard. The BJP MLA, Abhiram Singh then took it upon himself to fill it up so that it could be used by residents for recreational purposes. But the current MLA, Kripashanker Singh, built a shed over it and now the Congress party uses a part of the area as their office.”

When an attempt was made to contact Alice Therattil, her husband Johnson, picked up the phone, only to refute the allegations. Johnson, also a Congress party worker, said,

“Five years ago, a shed — 2,000 sq ft open space — was built by Kripashanker Singh from the MLA's fund. But nefarious activities like drinking and drug abuse began to take place atop the shed. We wanted to clean up the area. So, with the permission of MHADA (Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority) we cordoned off a small area and used it as a place where women from the economically-backward section of the community could stitch and manufacture buttons.”

Forty - four - year - old Dileep Shinde, another Kalina resident, said, “My kids, Roshan, 11, and Divya, 10, are prevented from playing there by the security guards present. Previously, they used to play cricket and badminton, but now they kill time watching TV.”

Johnson, however, denied the accusation. “You can come and see the place for yourself. It is a lie that kids are being shooed away. No watchmen or security guard is present in the area,” he said.

After a 10-minute meeting with Patil, a jubilant resident walked out saying, “The collector has said that if the fenced area is not opened by February 20, we [residents] will be allowed to break open the lock.”

Speaking to DNA, Patil said, “I've asked for a report from MHADA, which did mention that the enclosed area came under the category of public space. The MHADA has also informed me of the presence of political signs such as flags in that area.  We will investigate the matter, for if the area comes under 'public space', then it should be kept only for public use.”

Anil Phooolchand Upadhyay, president, Kalina Residents' Association, “We are law-abiding citizens, but if his order is not carried out, we will break open the lock ourselves.”