BMC gardens to be open from 6am to 10pm

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday decided to increase the timings of its gardens, and said they will be open for 16 hours daily, between

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday decided to increase the timings of its gardens, and said they will be open for 16 hours daily, between 6am and 10pm. Currently, BMC gardens are open for around 12 hours and are shut in the afternoon for maintenance work.

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The gardens that will be open for 16 straight hours include those developed on land owned by the civic body. Ashutosh Salil, joint municipal commissioner, BMC, said, “We have decided to keep the gardens open for 16 hours in a day, and the issue of maintenance can be resolved simultaneously. In case of some gardens we may consider keeping them open 24x7.”

The BMC’s decision comes after several citizen groups suggested the civic body keep garden timings flexible for citizens, considering their working hours and travel pattern. The BMC is currently drafting a policy on the upkeep of 1,068 gardens and playgrounds in the city, and has got nearly 300 suggestions from citizens. It had organised a citizen interaction session on Tuesday.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the BMC’s garden department said, “Dear Mumbaikars - First things first, we are happy to share that all the BMC gardens will stay open (unlocked) from 6 am (in the morning) till 10 pm (at night). This should help all Mumbaikars get access to the gardens, long before and even after their day at work.” The post added, “We have conveyed this message to all teams at all BMC gardens — however, it may take some time for the message to percolate. In case the team is not aware, kindly show them this message from this official FB page. They are simple and well-meaning people — so please be patient with them.”

Earlier, questions had been raised over the maintenance of the gardens if they are kept open for long hours. However, now the BMC has decided to barricade the portions where maintenance work is going on and keep the rest of the garden open for public use.

Apart from the demand to keep gardens open for a longer time, citizens have also suggested charging entry fee for using gardens, though many have also opposed it. Other suggestions include creating facilities for pets and designing gardens to suit the needs of specially-abled citizens. After the drafting the policy, BMC will release it in public domain for suggestions.