Malwani gets 60K sq-ft ground…….Clara Lewis
Mumbai: Malwani finally has an open spacea 60,000 sq-ft playground. Twenty years after the BMC took over the plot, it has finally begun developing it.
About 4,000 children attend five municipal schools in the area while several hundreds attend the numerous private schools dotting the place. The 60,000 sq-ft plot was part of a larger reservation for a recreation ground belonging to the Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (Mhada). It was handed over to the BMC in 1989 but quickly forgotten by the civic administration. In the meantime, a police housing federation that has been granted land (almost 52 acres) by Mhada to build houses for the police, tried to take over the plot. It even sought to earn transfer of development rights (TDR).
After seven years of rigorous follow-ups, we could finally prove that the land belongs to the BMC. The federation tried several tactics to dispossess the BMC of the land, but the locals prevented it, said corporator Aslam Sheikh.
While the battle was on, Sheikh filled the marshy land with debris, paying for it from his own pocket to create a makeshift playground. Several senior police officials had tried to intervene on behalf of the federation to prevent the playground from being developed. But last year when Sheikh apprised municipal commissioner Jairaj Phatak of the issue, he immediately wrote to Mhada to return the land to BMC. He reminded the housing authority of a state government decision that all open spaces on Mhada property have to be handed over to the BMC. Following Phataks letter, Mhada finally cleared all hurdles and BMC recently appointed a contractor to develop and maintain the playground for the next few years.
The playground comprises a vast open space to play football and cricket. It also has a jogging track and seating arrangement along the boundary wall for spectators. We will also create a hall for indoor games. There are two adjoining plots which I want to develop as part of the playground, said Sheikh.
OPEN SPACE: The ground has a jogging track besides a huge play area