Save open spaces in Mumbai: Citizens’ groups

Citizens’ groups from all over Mumbai are gathering to kick-start a campaign to save the city’s 800-odd public open spaces by demanding the repeal of the government’s caretaker policy.

On November 26, 2007, a similar campaign had culminated in an open letter to the chief minister by eminent citizens. It resulted in a stay on the policy. Citispace, an NGO fighting for the protection of Mumbai’s open spaces, convened a meeting on Monday to mobilise various citizen’s associations to come forward and protect open spaces — playgrounds, gardens and parks — in their respective wards.

“The BMC claims insufficient funds as the reason to allow commercial activity involving extensive construction and concretisation on public open spaces, when, in fact, the funds are more than enough,” said Neera Punj, convenor, Citispace. “We have made the calculations and it amounts to Rs103.4 crore for maintaining a total of 940 acres of open spaces in Mumbai. The budget allocation for the period 2010-11 can sufficiently cover this.

“We will empower citizens’ groups to treat open spaces as their personal property, so that they can lobby with the government to demand that they don’t want a caretaker policy or an adoption policy. They will write to the chief minister just like we have done for the A ward.”

Nayana Kathpalia, co-convenor, Citispace, said: “In the past, the BMC could not afford to maintain gardens and parks. It has now said that advance locality managements (ALMs) will get the first choice in adopting gardens. But it’s an uphill struggle for citizens’ groups to raise sponsorship for these gardens.

“In the past, we may have had agreed to adopt gardens, but it’s not our job. The entire policy of the BMC is wrong. We will put pressure through residents to impress upon the government that the policies must be repealed.”