mumbai

Updated: Oct 12, 2017 10:52 IST

The Bombay high court appointed a two-member committee on Wednesday to inspect Priyadarshani Park at Napean Sea Road and submit a report indicating whether a proposed fire brigade station at the ground would obstruct the passage of residents.

A division bench of chief justice Manjula Chellur and justice Nitin Jamdar directed the member secretary of the Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority and the high court receiver to visit the recreational ground in Malabar Hill. It also directed them to submit a report stating whether the 5,000-sq-m proposed fire brigade station would obstruct citizens from using the area.

The committee will also have to state whether the fire brigade has destroyed the park, especially its walking track.

The directive came after counsel for Malabar Hill Citizens Forum said the fire brigade destroyed the park, especially its walking track. The forum, which maintains the park, earlier filed a plea after fire brigade created a temporary shed within the 20-acre park and parked its vehicles there

The court also directed the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) to file an affidavit stating whether the ground falls within a coastal regulation zone (CRZ). The directive came after the petitioner said it did, while the civic body claimed that it did not.

The court earlier restrained the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) from taking possession of the park. The civic body responded to complaints, saying the city’s development plan indicated that a 5,000-sqm area in the park was reserved for the fire brigade.

There are no fire stations near the park. In case of emergencies, fire tenders arrive from Gowalia Tank, which takes 35 to 40 minutes, the civic body has said. It said a fire station at the park was necessary as a large number of VIPs live in the area.

The BMC said it has cleared proposals for the construction of four new fire stations, including one at Priyadarshani Park, and had provisions in the 2017-18 budget.