Mayor apprised of ground realities……Linah Baliga
Paying heed to the complaints of residents of Prabhadevi, mayor Shubha Raul on Monday inspected the playground near Siddivinayak and has decided to call upon an immediate meeting with municipal commissioner Jairaj Phatak, the BMCs garden department, the Siddhivinayak Trust, and members of the Rachana Sansad College, to resolve all issues at hand.
Recently rechristened as Raje Sambhaji Park, this playground was formerly known as the Nardulla Tank Maidan and is lying un-manned without gates and security guards. It is unfortunate that this playground is being used for every other purpose than what it is meant for. There are slum dwellers living with families for 15 years on the boundary of the garden that exits on the ground, said Raul.
Another bone of contention for the residents was that the Rachana Sansad College has sought permission for 18 months to construct a temporary godown to dump their debris material used for the extension work in the college.
The contractor has already erected poles on the ground, said Ganesh Mayekar, member of Raje Sambhaji park Maidan Bachao Samiti.
The college hasnt even asked for a public cause. So why did the BMC give permission? Ill call for a meeting soon to resolve this matter, Raul said.
Talking about the garland vendors who enter and become permanent fixtures on the jogging track, Raul suggested of putting a wall to restrict entry or put grills.
However, the suggestion on putting up grills around the ground was turned down by residents. The pits to erect poles are not filled up and many children meet with accidents on the ground, said another resident Prabhakar Raul.
A demand was made to revive the Darumukti Kendra at the ground and refurbish it into either a library or to make provisions for indoor games.