MUMBAI: The BMC Improvements Committee on Thursday passed a proposal to delete the cinema reservation on the 1,005-sq-m plot of the defunct Alexandra Cinema in Byculla-Nagpada, paving the way for residential development. The decision was taken amid strong opposition from Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) corporators, who had warned that the move could set a precedent for other closed cinemas across Mumbai.
The proposal, based on a recommendation from the state urban development department (UDD), was first placed before the committee on August 12. It was passed after two months under Section 64(3A) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888,which provides for deemed approval of civic proposals if the relevant committee fails to decide on them within 45 days.
Congress corporator Meher Mohsin Haider alleged that the provision was being used to push through contentious proposals despite opposition. The administration has recommended deleting the reservation and permitting residential use following applications seeking a change in land use. The proposal is based on a recommendation from the state urban development department,” the administration stated.
Shiv Sena (UBT) senior corporator and committee member Sachin Padwal had also opposed the proposal, pointing out that the theatre had been shut since 2007 and alleging that no serious efforts had been made to revive it. “The theatre, which permanently shut in 2007, has remained unused for nearly two decades. The proposal cites two requests to remove the cinema reservation: one by Maharashtra State Wakf Board representative Samir Gulamnabi Kazi to urban development minister Eknath Shinde on February 25, 2026, and another by Rafiq Patel, listed as the occupant of the plot, to the BMC’s development planning department on March 27. Following directions from the urban development department, the BMC submitted its report and recommendations on April 6, with the municipal commissioner’s prior approval.
“This is how proposals are passed through the backdoor, as they are always strongly opposed,” she said. The plot is currently reserved for a cinema under the Development Plan, according to the proposal submitted by the BMC administration. Congress corporator Ashraf Azmi said that Alexandra came under the Kamathipura cluster redevelopment project. “How can they individually dereserve it?” he asked. “Even if it was outside the cluster, we oppose it on the grounds that there is no means of entertainment for local residents.”
Following the proposal’s passage on Thursday, corporators from Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) staged a walkout in protest.
