Following the opposition to the de-reservation of the garden plot notice, residents of Baner-Balewadi have come together to form a WhatsApp group and hold a signature campaign in the same garden on August 5. The move is to garner support and appeal to residents to oppose the government resolution (GR) of de-reservation of the garden plot.
The message circulated on the group Baner-Balewadi Udyan Arakshan Bachao Kruti Samiti reads, “Protection and preservation of green zones, gardens, open spaces, rivers and hills has become an increasingly critical issue against the background of today’s quick paced urban development. Every time we lose a green space to concrete jungle, our future generations are becoming more and more vulnerable. We have already reached a point where the available green cover is dismally low compared to the standards that are required for any urban zone. For this reason, it is now critically important that we do not allow further destruction of the available green cover.”
“We are currently faced with a situation where 50% of garden reservation in Baner-Balewadi sector 1 (which has a total area of 838.20 hectares, including 16.69 hectares reserved for garden) has been de-reserved in the development plan, which means only 8.95 hectare of garden space will be there and the remaining to be given for residential property development,” said Sarang Wable, one of the residents of Balewadi.
The message also stated that as responsible and tax paying citizens of Baner-Balewadi, residents need to unite to show their resistance to the de-reservation of public garden space and urge the government to ensure that the reservation remains as it should, and doesn’t go for development of concrete jungle, thus urging and sincerely requesting all citizens of Baner-Balewadi to come together with your family to register your objection to this de-reservation.
{{/usCountry}}The message also stated that as responsible and tax paying citizens of Baner-Balewadi, residents need to unite to show their resistance to the de-reservation of public garden space and urge the government to ensure that the reservation remains as it should, and doesn’t go for development of concrete jungle, thus urging and sincerely requesting all citizens of Baner-Balewadi to come together with your family to register your objection to this de-reservation.
{{/usCountry}}The directive
The statement of Government of Maharashtra urban development department states that the land bearing s No 35/1/2 of village Baner is reserved for site no 3 G -3, Garden (therein after referred to as the Said Reservation). It further states that as per the request of the landowner to delete the said reservation on his ownership on the condition that he will pay the total expenditure required for development of north part of the said reservation to PMC, the Government of Maharashtra in urban development department has issued directives under section 37(1) of the said act to PMC vide letter to initiate the proposal of modification for deletion of the said reservation.