BMC proposal to replace sports complex reservation in Mulund with petrol pump runs into opposition

“The shortage of playgrounds, stadiums, sports complexes and recreational facilities in the city makes deletion of another sports reservation particularly problematic,” BMC Improvement Committee member and Congress corporator Meher Mohsin Haider said

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) proposal to alter the reservation of a 4,247.50-square metre (sqm) land parcel in Mulund East – earmarked for a sports complex and stadium in the 2034 Development Plan – has run into opposition, with BMC Improvement Committee member and Congress corporator Meher Mohsin Haider urging the civic body to reject the proposed modification.

The proposal seeks to delete the existing sports complex/ stadium reservation on a part of the plot bearing survey no. 1320/K/1 in Mulund East and replace it with a petrol pump (Raju Shinde/ Hindustan Times)

The proposal, which HT has accessed, seeks to delete the existing sports complex/ stadium reservation on a part of the plot bearing survey no. 1320/K/1 in Mulund East and replace it with a petrol pump, reportedly owing to the absence of any petrol pump in Mulund East and demands from residents.

“The shortage of playgrounds, stadiums, sports complexes and recreational facilities in the city makes deletion of another sports reservation particularly problematic,” Haider said. She also sought a comparative site-selection exercise to determine if other government plots, vacant commercial or industrial plots, or locations along the highway could be considered for the petrol pump before sacrificing a sports complex reservation.

String of letters

According to the proposal before the BMC, the demand for a petrol pump in Mulund East was first raised during a meeting on pending civic amenities, held at the Sahyadri Guest House on April 7, 2025. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was present at the meeting, directed officials to make land available along the Eastern Express Highway in Mulund for a petrol pump.

Subsequently, BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha, in a letter dated January 29, 2026, informed the Mumbai Suburban District Collector that though Mulund East had a population of more than 150,000, it did not have a petrol pump and residents were forced to travel to Mulund West to refuel their vehicles.

On February 3, 2026, the Collector wrote to the BMC, seeking cancellation of the sports complex reservation covering 4,247.50 sqm at survey no. 1320/K/1 and replace it with a petrol pump reservation.

The larger government plot, measuring 33,327 sqm, has a host of other reservations for civic amenities as per the 2034 Development Plan, including a municipal office, playground, municipal school, police chowky and petrol pump. According to the Collector’s letter to the BMC dated December 8, 2025, the 2,098-sqm reserved for a petrol pump has already been leased to Mahanagar Gas Limited for a CNG station.

Plea to explore alternatives

In her letter to the BMC Improvement Committee dated August 11, Haider referred to the existing reservation for a petrol pump on the plot and questioned why it was inadequate, why another 4,247.50 sqm was required, and if the CNG station could instead be expanded further.

Replacing a sports complex/stadium reservation with a commercial fuel facility amounts to a fundamental change in land use, Haider claimed, and questioned why it was being implemented under section 37(1) of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966, which allows only minor modifications to a sanctioned Development Plan.

Haider also cited the absence of independent studies to establish the need for a petrol pump in Mulund East and suitability of the chosen plot for the same. The proposal seeking a change in reservation relies primarily on the purported inconvenience faced by residents, but provides no data on the number of affected vehicles, shortage of fuel stations in the area, waiting time at existing pumps, future demand, or alternative sites for a petrol pump, she stated.

The Congress corporator also highlighted the pending opinion of the District Sports Officer regarding cancellation of the sports complex reservation, and said the change should not be approved until such opinion was obtained.

Approvals in store

According to the proposal, the state revenue and forest department had earlier directed officials to ascertain whether vacant and unobstructed government land in survey No. 1320/K/1 could be used for a petrol pump under the Development Control and Promotion Regulations 2034. The state government subsequently approved the auction of suitable land, subject to conditions, at a rate 25% higher than the prevailing market value.

The civic body’s gardens department has stated that it has no objection to the proposed change in reservation as the 4,000-sqm land parcel does not have any existing garden, playground or recreational facility. However, if existing trees are affected, prior permission must be sought from the BMC’s Tree Authority, the gardens department has said.

Alongside, the Deputy Municipal Commissioner (gardens) has suggested that the sports complex/ stadium reservation should preferably be retained or relocated elsewhere, and the Chief Engineer (development planning) is considering the suggestion.

The Executive Engineer (T Ward) has also conveyed no objection to changing the reservation of the plot.

To implement the change in reservation under Section 37 of the MRTP Act, the BMC will have to invite objections and suggestions before the proposal is sent to the state government for final approval.