BMC plans to construct buildings on Patwardhan Park, fear Bandra residents
The petitioners challenging the construction of a parking lot under Patwardhan Park in Bandra have made new allegations, claiming that the BMC is going against its own decision. They also alleged that the local MLA's unavailability suggests the BMC's intent to proceed with the project. The petition will be heard on August 23.
MUMBAI: The petitioners challenging the decision of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to construct a parking lot under Patwardhan Park in Bandra have added new allegations through an amendment in their petition. The latter claimed that though the chief engineer had categorically stated that underground parking lots were not desirable, the BMC had reissued the tender for a 190-car parking lot.
The amendment further alleged that the failure of the local MLA to meet them to discuss the issue further strengthened their apprehensions about the BMC’s intent to go ahead with the underground parking lot, which will later have overhead buildings as well, thus making the park defunct.
The petitioners, Zoru Bathena, Samarth Das and Alan D’souza, moved an interim application in their public interest litigation and sought permission from the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Arif Doctor to amend the petition and add further points to the petition.
The PIL had challenged a tender issued by the BMC earlier this year, calling for bids to construct an underground parking lot under Patwardhan Park which abuts Linking Road. The PIL had claimed that the tender was contrary to an earlier decision of the BMC to not construct the parking lot.
To buttress its claim in the PIL that the tender was arbitrarily issued by the BMC, the amendment refers to the 2020 communication of the chief engineer, where he stated that it was not desirable to have parking lots under parks.
Referring to the drawing for the underground parking lot, which the petitioners secured through the Right to Information Act, the amendment states that based on the dimensions of the pillars proposed to be constructed in the parking lot, not only does the BMC intend to go ahead with it but also to construct overground buildings.
The petitioners further alleged that they had approached the local elected MLA and sought a meeting with him to discuss the issue of the BMC’s decision to float the tender for the parking lot. However, his repeated unavailability indicated that the BMC would go ahead with its plan, and hence the amendment sought a response to this apprehension as well.
Lastly, the amendment seeks a report on the use and misuse of the available parking lots in the vicinity of Patwardhan Park, access to which has been denied to citizens.
The PIL with the amendments is expected to come up for hearing on August 23.
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