These are some of our city’s ‘parks’

Backed by citizens’ complaints highlighting civic apathy displayed in poorly maintained public parks, HT hit the road for a first-hand look.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) maintains 1068 plots in Mumbai, which include 254 gardens, 319 playgrounds and 432 recreation grounds, while some open spaces are yet to be developed. This year’s budgetary allocation for the development, and upkeep of existing parks is ₹180.83 crores.

The poor condition of a park in Thakur Complex, Kandivali East, has not escaped the notice of assistant commissioner of R South Ward, Lalit Talekar, but he said: “We are taking up all the parks for repairs to make them better. I will ask my staff to look into this for sure.” An official from the gardens department of the same ward said, “We will soon send a letter to the foundation that is maintaining the park.” (Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

Backed by a deep purse to provide healthy open spaces for its citizens, looks like BMC has its work cut out. Summer is upon us and soon educational institutions will close for annual breaks. Many use this time for a spot of self-imposed digi detox and turn to the green lungs for spontaneous interactions among peers.

Neighbourhood parks are not fulfilling the need.

Backed by citizens’ complaints highlighting civic apathy displayed in poorly maintained public parks, HT hit the road for a first-hand look. Most of them, in both the island city and suburbs, reflected the governing body’s lack of concern towards their upkeep.

Kaajol Mayur Faria, a 33-year-old mother of a two-year-old son has been tweeting about the poor condition of parks and gardens around Fort, where she resides, over the last few months. Faria wants her son to play freely every day in one of the three neighbourhood parks, but is unable to do so as there are problems that beset each.

“The recently inaugurated August Kranti Maidan, in Tardeo, has no light. It is pitch dark in the evening and no one dares to enter this space,” said Faria, adding that the space was thrown open to public despite some work still underway. “I constantly worry about my child’s safety; this should be his time to relax.”

Faria also called attention to the Horniman Circle Garden -- a dangerous site now -- since BMC has allowed citizens to enter despite the ongoing repairs. “We have to brace ourselves for a major mosquito menace during monsoons,” she said.

When a mirror was held up to this reality, assistant commissioner of A Ward, Shivdas Gurav, said, “The park is being restored jointly by the heritage committee and garden infrastructure cell.” He refused further input.

The poor condition of a park in Thakur Complex, Kandivali East, has not escaped the notice of assistant commissioner of R South Ward, Lalit Talekar, but he said: “We are taking up all the parks for repairs to make them better. I will ask my staff to look into this for sure.” An official from the gardens department of the same ward said, “We will soon send a letter to the foundation that is maintaining the park.”

Jitendra Pardeshi, superintendent of gardens department, did not respond to HT’s calls and text messages.

Place

Horniman Circle Garden, Fort

Area

12021 square meters

Issues

The park is currently being repaired, indicated on a board outside the gate. However, it is open for citizens who find using the space for walks rather difficult. The entire stretch of walking track has been dug up, making it a dangerous terrain for young and old alike.

The swings in the children’s play area are broken and the water fountain is defunct with stagnant mossy water collected around it – a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

The ongoing construction work throws up dust in the air and also creates air pollution in the area. Citizens have no knowledge about the deadline of the construction project.

Citizen-speak

Vishal Kokare, 22, student

I visit the park every evening. It is no longer a peaceful place. Apart from facilities for children, other amenities such as the reading area, which used to be a meeting point for group studies, has been dismantled. Work on the underground drainage system is taking a lot of time and causing noise pollution. It has been in a shambles for over two months.

Place

Veer Abdul Hamid Maidan, Dharavi

Area

8700 square meters

Issues

The play area for children is in a state of disrepair. They have to wait in queue to take turns on the swings, as seats of most are broken. The broken steps leading up to the slides are dangerous as they can lead to injuries. Many other play equipment are also missing.

Citizen-speak

Ataul Khan, 27, computer engineer and social activist

The park, which spreads over a large area, has many security concerns. Children and women are not safe here. The contractor has appointed local youths, notorious for creating nuisance repeatedly in the past, as security guards. They do not even have uniforms. This space is very popular among people of all ages. When I tweeted my concern to BMC, I received a standard “we will look into it” response. Predictably, nothing came of it thereafter.

Place

Shyam Narayan Singh Thakur Manoranjan Maidan, Kandivali East

Area

14295.10 square meters

Issues

Swings with shades in the park, a favourite hangout space for both children and adults, are missing. People in the vicinity said they were taken away a few weeks ago. To add to public’s woes, certain spots and the washrooms are unclean. Parts of the wall between the park and the jogging area are broken.

According to officials in BMC, the park has been adopted by Shivtej Foundation, who is responsible for its maintenance.

Citizen-speak

Nishant Mody, 34, marketing professional

I have been tweeting about the garden’s many issues since November, 2022, and managed to elicit a response from BMC only on February 16, 2023. They assured me that all concerns highlighted by me were resolved and the park was reconstructed.

When I went to check it out, I found the civic body had shared pictures of a different park.

New lamp posts have been installed outside the park and the footpaths have been redeveloped. However, the park itself has not been given enough attention. Despite repeated complaints and requests from citizens, BMC has not taken any action.

Place

Raosaheb Patwardhan Udyan, Bandra West

Area

18,868 square meters

Issues

Open spaces within the park – for the young to hang around and children to play – have been encroached. A few weeks ago, a BMC contractor dumped construction material, like paver blocks and chamber frames, here. This is no place for children to play, who keep falling and tripping. Young adults cannot play cricket and volley ball here anymore.

Citizen-speak

Zoru Bhathena, 48, environmental activist

It is very clear that BMC and the contractor have an understanding. This is the reason why he is using the space as storage. After we complained to BMC, it removed some of the stock and has assured will remove the rest soon.

Name

Karmaveer Dadasaheb Gaikwad Udyan, Vikhroli East

Area

6455 square meters

Issue

The walls of the garden are either broken or is in a dilapidated state. According to citizens, a part of the wall collapsed in 2021, after which BMC had removed the debris from some part. However, the wall is not fixed and has visible cracks all over. The entrance gate is damaged, with no security guards to look after the garden. In fact, there is a huge pile of waste dump at the entrance of the garden. The garden is also not illuminated and broken light poles are visible all around.

Citizen-speak

Nitesh Dhamne, 33, advocate, district president, Youth Congress

The park has two parts – the open space is for people to play outdoor sports and the other half converted into a recreational garden area for children. The swings are broken and dangerous for them to play. The entire park lacks light; it becomes very dark in the evening. There is also a stinky garbage dump right outside, a breeding spot for germs, which can lead to various illnesses.

The barren land in the garden is being used by people to consume ganja and other alcoholic drinks, making this an unsafe space.