SVKM to invest ₹50 cr to transform 3 public grounds into Olympic-standard facilities

SVKM said it would bear the entire capital, operational and maintenance expenditure for developing and running the three Olympic-standard sporting facilities, and pay 50% of the gross revenue to the BMC

Mumbai: Two days after a residents’ group from Juhu-Vile Parle moved the Bombay High Court challenging the handover of three prime reserved open spaces measuring 14.11 acres to the Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal (SVKM), a private educational trust, the SVKM on Wednesday said it would develop the grounds into Olympic-standard sporting facilities at a cost of ₹50 crore.

The Lokmanya Tilak Udyan in Juhu measures 0.92 acres. To its rights lies SVKM’s medical college and on left is the open space given to the college

Unveiling the plan, SVKM president and BJP MLC Amrish Patel said, “As India pursues its ambition to host the 2036 Olympic games and other major international sporting events, we must build the infrastructure and sporting culture required to support that ambition.”

SVKM said it would bear the entire capital, operational and maintenance expenditure for developing and running the three Olympic-standard sporting facilities, and pay 50% of the gross revenue to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The facilities would benefit 100,000 people and remain accessible to the public for five hours a day, Patel clarified.

Of three grounds, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Krida Sankul in Andheri and Lokmanya Tilak Udyan in Juhu are used by scores of people throughout the day free of charge, for sporting and recreational activities. Transfer of the grounds to the SVKM would not only restrict public access, but also commercialise sporting activities and leave sports enthusiasts in the city at the mercy of a profit-seeking private entity, activists warned.

Reserved plots

Founded in 1934, SVKM runs a host of educational institutes across the country including the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), a deemed-to-be-university, and Mithibai College in Juhu. It also runs sports facilities in Mumbai, Shirpur, Dhule, Indore and Hyderabad, comprising cricket grounds, football turfs, athletics tracks, indoor gymnasiums and facilities for tennis, basketball, pickleball, skating and squash.

The trust was one of seven entities that submitted bids in November 2025 to take over the 11.57-acre Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Krida Sankul in Andheri, owned by the BMC, for a period of 10 years. While SVKM quoted the highest revenue share for the BMC, at 50%, the civic body extended the validity of the trust’s bid by six months, till February 2027, instead of floating a new tender once the earlier bid expired, as is the usual practice.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) handed over the 0.92-acre Lokmanya Tilak Garden in Juhu and the 1.62-acre cement godown plot in DN Nagar to the trust on a limited-period licence for three years.

In the Development Plan (DP) 2034, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Krida Sankul, the Lokmanya Tilak Udyan and the Mhada cement godown plots are reserved for a public sports complex, a playground and a recreation ground, respectively.

The Gulmohar Area Societies Welfare Group, which has challenged the transfers in the high court, alleged that Patel had used his influence to secure the land parcels. Petitioners also apprehended that the plots would effectively be privatised and used by educational institutes run by SVKM, and access for the general public would be highly restricted.

SVKM plans

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Patel clarified that SVKM had not acquired ownership of the plots and only held the licence to use them for specified periods.

“I have got the Andheri Sports Complex ground for 10 years. I was the highest bidder and bid to develop the entire maidan for ₹25 lakh. I have also got the cement godown plot and the Lokmanya Tilak plot for three years,” he said.

All three grounds were in bad shape and SVKM would spend ₹50 crore to develop and upgrade them to Olympic standards, Patel mentioned.“There is no selfish motive in this. In fact, we stand to lose lakhs of rupees,” he claimed.

As per the agreement for the three plots, SVKM would pay 50% of gross revenue generated from them to the BMC, along with an assured minimum payment that would increase annually. User charges and norms for using the facilities would continue to be governed by the civic authority and the terms of the agreement, Patel said.

“We will introduce all kinds of sports at the Olympic level and it will benefit 100,00 people,” he stated.

Patel asserted that the grounds would remain accessible to the public, with access proposed for two hours in the morning and three hours in the evening. “The timings will be decided in due course,” he said. He also hoped that children trained at the facilities would participate in the 2036 Olympics.

SVKM said its existing sports infrastructure is backed by a team of more than 148 personnel, including certified coaches, sports officers, sports coordinators and physical education teachers. For the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Krida Sankul, the trust would deploy an additional 40-50 certified coaches and sports personnel, it said.

Residents groups and civic activists opposed the proposal and questioned the use of three reserved public spaces by a private educational trust.

Handing over public open spaces to a single private, for-profit organisation raises serious questions about the state’s obligation to safeguard public land, said architect and Juhu resident Samarth Das.

Allowing reserved open spaces to be diverted for the exclusive use of a private institution promotes commercialisation and monetisation of such spaces and sets a dangerous precedent for a city already starved of open spaces, said Das. Public land must remain for the public at large, he asserted.

Das also faulted the BMC and Mhada, saying that as custodians of public open spaces, they had a responsibility to protect such land for citizens. “If public authorities cannot be trusted to protect these spaces, who can citizens turn to,” he wondered.