Great garden, but locals wary ………..Sukhada Tatke | TNN
Mumbai: Goregaon (E) residents are all set to have a lush garden in their neighbourhood. Ensconced in the serene streets of Gokuldham area, the once barren 6.5 acre plot of land is making heads turn with its bountiful trees and and inviting cool breeze. The Arya Bhaskar Trust Garden was thrown open to the public amid much fanfare on Tuesday.
It seems like a win-win situation, but one needs to take a second look. The Arya Bhaskar Trust, which was formed in 1999, acquired this piece of land from the BMC a few years ago under the adoption policy on a five-year lease. Now, the trust is planning to apply to take care of the garden under the caretaker policy. The controversial policy allows private charitable trusts to develop and maintain an open space for five years. During this period, the organisation is allowed to commercially exploit one-third of the land. The rest is used for exclusive public use.
Theres no denying that the trust committee members left no stone unturned in their efforts to nurture the garden. Right from levelling the ground, to bringing exotic trees from Kerala and Hyderabad, to constructing a musical fountain and creating a big jogging track along the periphery, they did it all.
It used to be a barren land with a lot of encroachment. It was reserved as a recreation ground (RG). We thought we should do something to preserve the open space in our area, said Gajanan Kirtikar, local MLA and president of Arya Bhaskar Trust. We got permission from the BMC in 2004 and it took us four long years to develop it. We got it done finally and now it is open to the public. We are expecting around 10,000 visitors per month, he added.
Claiming that it will be impossible to maintain the entire stretch of land with a paltry sum of Rs 5 as entry fee, members of the trust are looking to apply under the caretaker policy. With the first phase of the gardenjogging tracks, trees, library, artificial pondover, the politicians are waiting to construct an indoor club to cash in on it, say critics.
But we have already spent crores of rupees in the development. Even if a fee of Rs 5 is charged, we will get only Rs 50,000 at the end of the month. We need money to cross-subsidise the expenses, that will run up to Rs 4 lakh per month. Once we construct a club, where there will be indoor activities, we can make money, said Kirtikar. We want to now get it under the caretaker policy for 30 years. Currently, there is a stay over the policy. There was unnecessary public outcry saying that public grounds are being sold off to private organisations. But that is all nonsense, he added.
Sena leader Sunil Prabhu said the land is currently under adoption basis and open to the public. But once the stay is lifted, we want to create a cricket academy and lawn tennis court. A separate fee will be charged for it, he added.
Some residents have already raised objections to this sort of development. The freshly manicured lawn, they say, will only look pretty, but will be of no use for kids. Children need to play. But they will be forbidden from stepping on the lawns. This is sad, said 45-year-old Savitri Salunkhe (name changed), resident of the area. Moreover, there are several slums in the area and it is not easy for them to shell out Rs 5 daily. Has anybody thought about it? she asked.
We have often seen land meant for public use being turned into a club and open spaces being commercially exploited, said Neera Punj of Citispace. There is no need to make money from open spaces. Why construct an indoor club there? she asked.
IS THERE A HIDDEN AGENDA? Ensconced in the serene streets of Gokuldham area of Goregaon (E), the lush garden used to be a barren 6.5 acre plot of land