Football ground row: Proposal still in early stages, says BMC

Mumbai: Amid mounting opposition to BMC’s plan to change the reservation of Neville D’Souza Football Ground at Bandra Reclamation from a playground to an exhibition and convention centre, civic officials clarified that the proposal is is still far from being implemented and must clear multiple statutory approvals.They said the proposal has not yet been placed before the civic House and will also require approval from the state’s urban development department before any change in reservation can take effect. The proposal was passed last week by the civic improvements committee amid objections from corporators in the opposition.The controversy began after Mhada, which owns the plot that is currently reserved as a playground/sports ground under Development Plan 2034, sought restoration of the site’s earlier reservation as a convention complex, prompting BMC to initiate the process for modifying the existing reservation.The move triggered sharp criticism from the football fraternity, opposition leaders and residents. Mumbai Congress president and MP Varsha Gaikwad alleged that the proposal would deprive thousands of children of a crucial sporting facility. “WHO recommends 9s m of open space per person. Mumbaikars survive on just 0.87sqm. And now even that is under attack. Neville D’Souza Ground is the city’s only FIFA-standard football ground where nearly 10,000 children train every year.

We cannot allow one of Mumbai’s last major playgrounds to be sacrificed,” she said.However, civic officials and members of the governing front defended the proposal, saying the land belongs to Mhada and was originally earmarked for a convention centre. They said the proposal only seeks to restore the site’s original reservation. According to the proposal, there is no convention centre in the vicinity of the plot and Mhada had requested that the reservation be changed accordingly.Officials stressed that the proposal remains at a preliminary stage and that no final decision has been taken. They said the reservation change can come into effect only after it is approved by the BMC’s general body and subsequently sanctioned by the urban development department.