MUMBAI: In a big victory for Juhu residents, the locality has got back an open space after a wait of 38 years. The BMC recently threw open a brand new playground for kids with a turf and sports rink on a plot that was supposed to be handed over to the BMC by a private owner and developed way back in 1984.
The plot had turned into a dumping ground and public urinal before being recently beautified and turned into a usable playground spread across almost 2 acres.
The plot on Juhu’s CD Barfiwala Marg was reserved for a playground in the development plan and was to be handed over to the BMC but was stuck in red tape due to technical and legal hassles for over 30 years. Officials said that they began following up on the handover in 2012. The BMC’s garden cell spent around Rs 1.5 crore on the revamp.
“The playground was supposed to be handed over to BMC in 1984 but the process was left incomplete. “This plot was a dumping ground, urinal and haven for anti-social elements. I became a corporator in 2012 and started the handover process. The BMC’s estate department was delaying the process. Then in 2016, we held meetings and got things moving. And finally after the handover, the BMC’s Garden Cell developed the plot. This is the 36th open space developed in the area in 10 years,” said BJP MLA from Andheri (West) Ameet Satam.
Geeta Kadam of Juhu Residents ALM said that the open space has already become popular. “There are badminton courts and a play area for small children, there is also a jogging track and a cricket ground. There were no playgrounds for children in this area. There are playgrounds in Andheri’s DN Nagar and JVPD but we didn’t have a playground. Children had to go to other areas to play. It was a 40 year fight and now we want to streamline the use along with BMC to protect it,” Kadam said.
BMC officials said that the development of the playground was stalled since the formal handover of the plot to the BMC hadn’t taken place.
