The report also noted that of the total 3,780 acres of open spaces, the BMC owns only 1,322 acres while the remaining plots are under the jurisdiction of other government agencies, including the Mumbai Port Trust, Public Works Department, Railways and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. (File Photo) The report also noted that of the total 3,780 acres of open spaces, the BMC owns only 1,322 acres while the remaining plots are under the jurisdiction of other government agencies, including the Mumbai Port Trust, Public Works Department, Railways and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. (File Photo)

Even as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made claims of protecting the city’s open spaces while drafting the Development Plan 2034, a report by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) said that out of a total of 3,780 acres of open spaces, 664 acres are occupied by clubs and gymkhanas.

A survey by the ORF also reveals that majority of people rate the current condition of public parks as average or below on various counts, including lighting, aesthetics, cleanliness and safety. The report, compiled by three researchers over six months, indicated that nearly one fifth of the city’s open spaces are accessible only to those who have memberships in these clubs and gymkhanas. The report states that of the 3,780 acres of public open spaces, Mumbaikars get an “abysmally low average of 1.28 square metre of open space per capita”.

The report also noted that of the total 3,780 acres of open spaces, the BMC owns only 1,322 acres while the remaining plots are under the jurisdiction of other government agencies, including the Mumbai Port Trust, Public Works Department, Railways and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority.

While private clubs and gymkhanas, like Royal Willingdon Sports Club, Wodehouse Gymkhana, and Bombay Gymkhana among others, occupy around 422.5 acres, another 242 acres owned by the BMC were leased out to “influential and politically-connected individuals” in 1991, the report states.

These BMC-owned open spaces were leased out under the much-criticised caretaker policy, while an interim open spaces policy is pending approval from the general body. The report included findings of a survey of around 700-odd people, which indicates that very few consider public parks to be maintained well.

Majority of people felt that the children’s play area in public parks is in an average condition, while facilities for toilets and drinking water are in a poor condition. Most people surveyed felt that public parks fare very poorly in providing access to the differently-abled. Of 1,472 responses on what people dislike about public open spaces, 320 people flagged anti-social elements while 203 named hawkers inside or outside the parks.

More than 700 people pointed out unpleasant odours from urinals and garbage dumps while 242 named encroachments inside or outside the park as a problem. Among suggestions, the report recommended that the BMC should constitute a multi-stakeholder committee that can include people from fields like architecture, town planning, urban design, and environment among others, and the government and civil society members should have equal powers. Another suggestion was to delegate powers to ward committees and members of the civil society who can ensure that open spaces remain protected and well-governed.

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