MUMBAI: The BMC has told the Bombay high court that it has neither finally deleted the playground designation and reservation of the Neville D’Souza football ground at Bandra Reclamation nor sanctioned the conversion into a convention or exhibition centre, adding that the proposal is still at a preliminary stage and has to undergo statutory procedure under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act to reach an ultimate decision of the competent authority.
As reported by HT earlier, the 8,450-square-metre plot, owned by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), was reserved for a convention and trade fair centre in 1983. The affidavit pointed out that under the presently sanctioned DP 2034, the land which was affected by the convention complex reservation as per the MHADA-approved layout, is now affected by various reservations and designations, including a playground, a multipurpose community centre, a municipal school, an old age home and care centre and is situated in the residential zone.
Around 15 years ago, it was leased out “temporarily” to the Mumbai Football Association (MFA); the BMC subsequently marked it as a recreation ground in the Development Plan (DP) 2034 since a football ground was in existence. “MHADA’s request, if accepted, would require modification of the sanctioned DP,” it added.
