MUMBAI: Residents of the area around a recreation ground on St Joseph’s Road in Bandra (West) conducted a signature campaign on Tuesday against the handover of a nine-metre-wide strip through a recreation ground to a builder. The petition with 480 signatures was handed over to Vinayak Vispute, H-West ward officer and in-charge of the estates department.
The residents expressed their objection to giving the builder right of way through the plot designated and reserved for a recreation ground, which they said was in active use as a playground. The petition alleged that the developer had misrepresented to the BMC that the plots were landlocked and in reality access was available to these plots from the western side of Chimbai Road.
Former corporator Asif Zakaria said that by giving access through the nine-metre-wide strip of land to the specific plots, the permissible FSI of the plots had increased to 2.7, thereby increasing the development potential of the plots.
“The BMC has granted right of way, cutting almost 40% of its RG reserved plot used by the Pali Chimbai Municipal School without having any clarity as to when the developer will hand over the designated RG plot free of cost to BMC, and until that time why should the BMC school or local residents be deprived in using a public playground?” Zakaria said.
Zakaria said that Section 13(2)(a) states that an existing designated amenity cannot be reduced. DCPR Rule 17 (18) says existing playgrounds attached to a school cannot be subjected to acquisition or transfer and shall be accessible to the general public.
Zakaria said that according to Section 17, Table 4 of DCPR 2034, public open spaces and recreation grounds cannot be used for providing road access to a private property. The former corporator said the area of the access is worth Rs 12.77 crore going by the Ready Reckoner but had been given to the builder for Rs 2.14 lakh by the estate department.
The residents expressed their objection to giving the builder right of way through the plot designated and reserved for a recreation ground, which they said was in active use as a playground. The petition alleged that the developer had misrepresented to the BMC that the plots were landlocked and in reality access was available to these plots from the western side of Chimbai Road.
Former corporator Asif Zakaria said that by giving access through the nine-metre-wide strip of land to the specific plots, the permissible FSI of the plots had increased to 2.7, thereby increasing the development potential of the plots.
“The BMC has granted right of way, cutting almost 40% of its RG reserved plot used by the Pali Chimbai Municipal School without having any clarity as to when the developer will hand over the designated RG plot free of cost to BMC, and until that time why should the BMC school or local residents be deprived in using a public playground?” Zakaria said.
Zakaria said that Section 13(2)(a) states that an existing designated amenity cannot be reduced. DCPR Rule 17 (18) says existing playgrounds attached to a school cannot be subjected to acquisition or transfer and shall be accessible to the general public.
Zakaria said that according to Section 17, Table 4 of DCPR 2034, public open spaces and recreation grounds cannot be used for providing road access to a private property. The former corporator said the area of the access is worth Rs 12.77 crore going by the Ready Reckoner but had been given to the builder for Rs 2.14 lakh by the estate department.