BMC plans ₹5-crore Patwardhan Park revamp, area earlier slotted for parking lot omitted
The BMC plans a ₹5.28-crore upgrade of Patwardhan Park, excluding a key area for Durga Puja, raising concerns among locals and activists.
MUMBAI: The BMC, in its pre-election frenzy, has decided to undertake a ₹5.28-crore upgrade of Patwardhan Park in Bandra. Significantly, the plan omits a certain plot of land from the revamp—the very plot that the civic body had planned to dig up to construct an underground parking lot—raising the suspicions of locals and activists.
This 2,300-square-metre portion behind the 14,497 square metres of the park, bifurcated with a gate to demarcate the area, is customarily used for Durga Puja. The plan documents state it is “on hold as per Hon’ble Guardian minister’s instructions in meeting dtd 24-9-2025”. (sic)
Compared to the rest of the park, it is actually this portion that requires an upgrade—visitors report that apart from a few trees on the periphery, the ground is barren and muddy and so is used by children to play sports.
“Ideally, the upgradation should be holistic and the BMC should have included this portion in the revamp after checking with locals what is needed and keeping in mind the yearly Durga Puja requirement,” said Asif Zakaria, former corporator of a different area of Bandra. Architect Alan Abraham, one of those who had spearheaded the fight against the underground parking lot, questioned the ulterior motive behind excluding the plot, suspecting plans to erase its open space reservation.
Former Shiv Sena corporator of the area Swapna Mhatre who, along with the guardian minister and MLA Ashish Shelar, has been pushing for the upgrade, had a non-committal answer. “Because the use of that portion of land has not been decided, Shelar Sir suggested that it be kept aside and the upgradation of the rest of the park be taken ahead,” she said. “We can always revisit that portion later.”
{{/usCountry}}Former Shiv Sena corporator of the area Swapna Mhatre who, along with the guardian minister and MLA Ashish Shelar, has been pushing for the upgrade, had a non-committal answer. “Because the use of that portion of land has not been decided, Shelar Sir suggested that it be kept aside and the upgradation of the rest of the park be taken ahead,” she said. “We can always revisit that portion later.”
{{/usCountry}}Mhatre emphasised what a massive task it was to get the BMC to fund the upgrades that will necessitate the park staying shut for 11 months. “Because the park has been embroiled in the parking lot controversy since 2017, it has been neglected,” she said. “It has been a struggle. Instead of only doing some upgrades, and then having to revisit others a few years down the line and bothering residents again, we thought it was best to carry out all the upgrades in one shot. We want to make the 11-month shutdown of such a park in the middle of a concrete jungle worth it for the residents.”
{{/usCountry}}Mhatre emphasised what a massive task it was to get the BMC to fund the upgrades that will necessitate the park staying shut for 11 months. “Because the park has been embroiled in the parking lot controversy since 2017, it has been neglected,” she said. “It has been a struggle. Instead of only doing some upgrades, and then having to revisit others a few years down the line and bothering residents again, we thought it was best to carry out all the upgrades in one shot. We want to make the 11-month shutdown of such a park in the middle of a concrete jungle worth it for the residents.”
{{/usCountry}}An official from the BMC’s garden cell corroborated that Mhatre had been persistently chasing the upgrades for a few years. “H West ward’s garden department has asked us to exclude that portion from the upgrades, which is why it has been kept on hold,” he said. “This park has not undergone repairs for a while, hence this was taken up.”
H West ward’s assistant commissioner, Dinesh Pallewad, did not respond to questions.
The park’s revamp includes a whole host of repairs, from refurbishing the existing lawn, replacing a dilapidated bridge over the mud pathway, redoing the paver block pathways, adding a pebble pathway and a new entrance gate, replacing parts of the existing compound wall and grill, repairing the toilets and sheds and acquiring new play and gym equipment.
While locals and activists agreed that parts of the park needed repairs, they questioned the ₹5-crore spend on it when other parks in the ward and city needed the funds more. Activist Zoru Bhathena said he would study the suggested upgrades and draft a letter to the BMC. “The problem occurs when a huge amount is spent on upgrades, and then regular maintenance is not done, making repairs necessary all over again,” he said.
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