Citizens win battle to save pond, garden ……..Clara Lewis
Mumbai: Saturday will mark the victory of a citizens initiative that started 13 years ago in the quaint, middle class neighbourhood of Poonam Nagar at Mahakali Caves in Andheri (E). Residents efforts to save their areas green cover will bear fruit with the inauguration of a pond surrounded by a lush green garden.
It all started in 1996 when locals stopped a truck from dumping debris to fill up the pond. At that time, the residents were not organised as a citizens group, but their determination to save the pond and the few open spaces in their area was strong. In 2000, after regular follow-ups with the BMC, the residents finally got the civic administrations nod to maintain the pond and the area around it.
The pond was part of a reserved recreation ground measuring 85,000 sq ft. But civic officials and corporators got together to dereserve a part of the recreation ground and a private school came up. The school authorities began eyeing the vacant plot with the pond to park school buses. They were supported by a local politician who was powerful in the BMC, said a resident.
Reminiscing about their struggle, Anup Talwar, a member of the Mahakali Advanced Locality Management group, said, It was Pari Berry, a resident of Green View society who noticed that debris was being dumped on the plot at night. She informed us about it and we decided to stop it.
Thus began the residents near daily tiffs with civic authorities, who allege locals, seemed adamant to bury the lake and create a parking lot. It was only when we called the then additional municipal commission A K Jain and showed him saw what was going on that he put a stop to it. He asked us to maintain it, said Ramesh Pai, secretary of the ALM.
But civic officials and corporators were not willing to give up their claim to the plot. They first said that we had done nothing to improve the garden or the pond and so decided to take it back. We had started constructing the wall and were laying paver blocks. But everything requires money and we were looking for funds. We then roped in the local Congress MLA Suresh Shetty and sought his help to beautify the plot, said Talwar.
The BMC objected once again saying residents could not adopt it as public funds were being spent to maintain the plot. Shetty then sanctioned Rs 18 lakh to clean the pond and construct a wall. He also gave Rs 2 crore from his local area development fund.
Shetty was all praise for the citizens. Entry will be free. We have obtained four paddle boats from the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. These can be used free of cost by children below 15 years of age . We are now planning to put up a rope bridge over the pond and are looking for corporate sponsorship, he said.
VISUAL DELIGHT: Residents began fighting for the pond in 1996