Carmichael road residents fight for a children’s park

The Residents of Carmichael Road on Sunday got together at a meeting to chalk out a plan to save a privately-owned green cover plot from going under development.

The residents claim that over one acre of land which houses several trees, some of which are over 100-year-old, was originally reserved for a children’s park.

According to the residents, the Brihanmumbai Municipal corporation (BMC) had to pay a conveyance to the owner and build a park, but they did not do so and instead, the land went under litigation. The land parcel has been sold by the Parsi owners to Mah-hill properties, a real estate company.

“Now that the builders have taken it, we are not sure what will happen to the land, but there should be a children’s park here if this was the designated spot. The Carmichael road and the surrounding places do not have a designated open space in the area,” said Pervin Sanghavi, founder of Friends of Malabar Hills, a resident association which advocates for open spaces. However, as per the development plan 2034 made under Maharashtra regional town planning act, the plot’s status was changed and earmarked as a residential place.

The residents are concerned about harming the biodiversity. Further, they also highlighted the hazards of construction taking place in a landslide prone area. “When a landslide took place five years back, a survey was conducted which said more trees should be planted to hold the land together. If they tear down so many trees and take up construction it could cause more hazards,” said another resident. “We will find documents about the history of the plot and how the status of the plot was changed. Accordingly, plan our future actions. The plot comes under the coastal regulatory zone so there are several implications. We will try to find a solution,” said Zoru Bhathena, an activist.