BMC’s open spaces policy: Activists start online petition

Political bigwigs who are currently maintaining the open spaces that don’t give entry to citizens can now reapply and officially adopt the plots

Terming the civic body’s interim policy on open spaces – which allows private bodies to maintain 216 plots for 11 months – abduction policy, activists have started an online petition against it.

Political bigwigs who are currently maintaining the open spaces that don’t give entry to citizens can now reapply and officially adopt the plots. (FILE)

In his petition, Shailesh Gandhi, former central information commissioner, said, “Our corporators have shamelessly passed an abduction policy to create private third party interests in public spaces and deprive citizens. This will lead to depriving the poorest of their property by fraudulently gifting it to private parties. This is an open policy for corruption and abduction. The BMC has not been able to come up with an open space policy in ten years and has therefore proposed an interim policy. It is a simple task if public interest is held paramount.”

Political bigwigs who are currently maintaining the open spaces that don’t give entry to citizens can now reapply and officially adopt the plots. Rishi Agarwal, an activist, said, “Why give the plots to private entities?”

Another citizen activist from Khar, Anandani Thakur, said, “The BMC, in its interim policy, should have only allowed citizen groups, NGOs and corporates to maintain the plots, while monitoring its functioning. If these open spaces will go back to politicians, there is no use of the new policy.”