03 April,2011 08:40 AM IST | | Shailesh Bhatia
Trust that handles Juhu Garden and BMC pass the buck; kids miss their iconic concrete 'aeroplane'
Two years after the iconic concrete aeroplane at the 7,200 sq. ft. Juhu Garden was shut to public and subsequently demolished, hundreds of tiny tots who visit the park daily are still waiting for authorities to reconstruct the landmark structure, which fascinated visitors for over five decades.
The spot where the famous concrete aeroplane stood.
Pic/Santosh Nagwekar
The replica was cordoned off after a cement slab fell and claimed the life of eight year-old Pravin Jamdale, a resident of Juhu Koliwada, who was playing under the left 'wing' on March 20, 2009.
Sunday Mid DAY has in its possession, an undertaking from Smt. Kamla Raheja Foundation, the caretaker of the Juhu Garden, given to the BMC, which states that it will be willing to erect a replica of the plane at the same spot, provided a maintenance contract is put in place to take care of the expense.
SMD also has a copy of the original agreement between the two parties, which clearly states that the trust would bear all costs towards development, improvement and maintenance of the facility.
Aftab Siddique, who filed an RTI query to obtain relevant papers on the case says that it is apparent that Smt. Kamla Raheja Foundation, who are the caretakers and owners, and the BMC are both shrugging responsibility. "I take the Linking Road route to work everyday. I saw the structure being demolished over a year ago. The plot has being lying vacant ever since. This prompted me to seek some answers."
Though the foundation's officials remained unavailable for comment, Deputy Municipal Commissioner Sudhir Naik said he would gather facts on the case and act accordingly. "There are various organisations and individuals who have approached me on this issue and I have instructed my staff to collect all relevant papers for scrutiny," he said.
Nandita Karnad, who was once a frequent visitor to the park along with her kids, Rishab (8) and Siddharth (10), said her children are no longer keen to visit the park. "What is Juhu Garden without the plane? There was a time when my children, like thousands of others, would spend hours inside it, dreaming of flying and becoming pilots."
