Mumbai's Central Park | Deputy CM Eknath Shinde unveils plan; city forest, sports complex part of mega project

Mumbai: The world-class Central Park -- which would become an attraction of Mumbai -- will be developed over a total area of 295 acres, combining the open land of Mahalaxmi Racecourse and the Coastal Road.

The proposed master plan of the Central Park was presented to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

On this occasion, Mumbai's Municipal Commissioner & Administrator Bhushan Gagrani and architect Hafeez Contractor were present.

The Central Park will be directly connected to the Coastal Road through an underground passage. Deputy Chief Minister Shinde assured that no harm will be caused to the racecourse or its historic heritage.

The Central Park will be developed on 125 acres at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, along with 170 acres of land from the Coastal Road, creating a total of 295 acres of a grand Central Park.

Additionally, a 10 lakh square feet world-class underground sports complex will be developed beneath the Central Park. This complex will host international-level sports facilities along with traditional Indian sports such as Kho-Kho and Kabaddi. The sports complex will be environment-friendly, said Deputy Chief Minister Shinde.

Visitors will be able to watch horse racing while walking inside the park. Except for walking paths, there will be no construction on the surface—the entire area will remain a green park.

For smooth traffic management, the Central Park will be connected to the Coastal Road via a 1,200-meter-long underground tunnel, for which a Rs 550 crore tender has been issued.

The Nehru Science Centre Metro Station (Metro Line 3) will be the nearest station.

The station will be connected to the Central Park via an underground passage, which will extend through Annie Besant Road, reach Haji Ali, connect to parking facilities, and further link to the Coastal Road.

This underground connectivity will help manage crowds visiting the Central Park and sports complex. The Coastal Road parking facility will accommodate 1,200 cars and 100 buses.

Shinde stated that the project will create a 300-acre oxygen park, helping reduce air pollution in Mumbai.