Mumbai will lose amenity spaces to encroachment, fear citizens
The civic body might lose many of its open spaces reserved for amenities in the draft development plan 2034 to encroachment. That's the fear several people expressed in a recent meeting organised by Samajwadi Party group leader in the BMC Rais Shaikh.
The civic body might lose many of its open spaces reserved for amenities in the draft development plan 2034 to encroachment. That's the fear several people expressed in a recent meeting organised by Samajwadi Party group leader in the BMC Rais Shaikh.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the DP has made it compulsory that plots measuring 2,000sqm will have to reserve 10% of their area as an amenity space and hand the same over to the BMC.
Shaikh said, "History shows that the BMC has not been able to maintain its open spaces, which have been reserved for RG/PG and most of them have been encroached on. What is the guarantee that the BMC will be able to maintain these amenity spaces?"
He added that at the same time in a separate open space policy, the BMC has proposed to involve citizens and local residents to maintain open spaces.
"What is the point then of handing over these amenity spaces to the BMC and then it handing them back to citizens? And if the BMC fails to maintain these amenity spaces, societies can end up having fully encroached plots next to them," he said.
Municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte, however, told dna that it would be wrong to assume that the plots will be encroached on.
"We have decided not to acquire the plot through the long acquisition process and take it for amenities when the plot is being developed. Based on an area's need, we will develop the amenities, whether it is a police station or a maternity home or something else. We can also develop composite facilities on a plot, if required," he said, adding that development of the plot won't be a time-consuming affair.