Bandra residents worried over shrinking garden
Allege that BMC has reduced the area of the plot on purpose…….Ashutosh Shukla
Allege that BMC has reduced the area of the plot on purpose…….Ashutosh Shukla
Residents of St John Baptist Road, Bandra (W), are a concerned lot. A plot of land that BMC was supposed to develop as a garden is slowly shrinking in size, at least on paper.
The plot near Ashiana cooperative housing society was handed over to BMC nearly two decades ago. Then, the total area reserved for the garden was 3,487 sq mt. In December 2006, through RTI, residents found the size had gone down to 2,200 sq mt. BMC said the slums on the plot were protected as per government policy since they were built before 1995.
What has flummoxed residents now is a notice issued for the adoption of the garden. The notice came in January and mentions its area as only 899.93 sq mt. This is after the ward officer came to the plot in September 2007 and promised that the garden will soon be handed over to us, said Lillian Pais, member of advanced locality management number 105, St John Baptist Road. We couldnt adopt the garden earlier as we did not have enough funds. We handed the plot to BMC for development, but it is strange to see that the size has reduced.
Residents also complained that BMCs delay has led to anti-social activities at the plot. Pais said people were found smoking and drinking there regularly. The plot is also used for marriages and social events without permission. Corporator Ashish Shellar has attended bhandaras and encouraged nuisance in the area.
Shellar refuted the allegations. I support residents. Like most politicians, I attend bhandaras only once a year.
Mohammad Khalid Khan, horticulture engineer, H-west ward, said, We are working on the garden the delay is due to some nuisance. The work will be completed in a few months. As for the plot size, I will have to see previous records. As far as I know, the correct figure is 899 sq mts.