Mumbai BJP chief demands BMC to stay interim open spaces policy

Highlighting the absence of a comprehensive open spaces policy, he said the BMC currently has an interim policy that allows open spaces to be handed over for maintenance to private parties, trusts, and institutions for an 11-month contractual period.

Mumbai: In a bid to safeguard Mumbai’s rapidly shrinking open spaces, Mumbai BJP president and Andheri West MLA Ameet Satam has demanded that the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) stay its interim policy and not allot any open spaces to private parties.

Satam further urged the Mumbai civic body to explore regulated advertising in these spaces as a means to generate revenue to maintain these open spaces.

Highlighting the absence of a comprehensive open spaces policy, Satam said the BMC currently has an interim policy that allows open spaces to be handed over for maintenance to private parties, trusts, and institutions for an 11-month contractual period.

"There is a lot of concern in the city regarding open spaces, potential of them being usurped by vested interests. Some open spaces are permanently converted into clubs/gymkhana for raking profits," he said in a letter to BMC’s Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Bhushan Gagrani.

Satam has been instrumental in developing more than 60 open spaces in his Andheri West Assembly constituency and all of them are maintained by BMC.

Satam further said that the BMC's attempts at framing an open spaces policy have faced stiff opposition due to its failure of not keeping in mind the public sentiment. "The city is of the view that all open spaces in the city should be compulsorily be maintained only by BMC and not handed over to any private party, trust, organization or institution and BMC can have regulated advertising in these open spaces to generate revenue," he said.

Satam urged the civic body to refrain from allotting any new open spaces under the current 11-month interim policy until a new citizen-friendly policy is framed.

“Once a trust or private party occupies space, it becomes extremely difficult to evict them and it becomes a strong base for them to continue occupation. It has been observed that some trusts are making applications under an 11 month interim policy with vested interests to occupy before policy is finalised. BMC must ensure that no open space in the city is given under the 11-month interim policy and BMC should maintain all open spaces," reiterated Satam.