19 July,2018 07:13 AM IST | Mumbai | Chetna Sadadekar
An aerial view of the Willingdon Sports Club. File Pic
The state government has quite literally 'white' washed the Willingdon Sports Club on the Development Plan (DP) 2014-34 'excluded part' map recently uploaded online. The area, marked as green in the revised draft DP (RDDP) 2034 last year, designating it as an open space, has been marked in white in the new map, thus indicating it as a residential area instead. However, BMC officials say this white marking means nothing, and the colour will remain the way it was in the RDDP.
The state had announced in April that it would be coming out with DP 2034 and the 'excluded part' (EP), meaning the changes done by the state, will be put in public domain. But the DP maps uploaded on BMC's website with the state's changes now have ended up causing confusion with seemingly mismarked areas like Willingdon, and the Tardeo Regional Transport Office (RTO). According to sources, the state recommended no changes to Willingdon or the RTO.
The Willingdon Sports Club was marked in green in the RDDP map
The RTO, which was originally marked grey to denote it as a transport office, has also been marked white. The white markings on the DP maps are usually used to show the area as a residential zone.
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No EP marking
What is also causing confusion is the lack of 'EP' next to the now white areas. All the changes on this map suggested by the state have EP written next to them, but the map of the Tardeo area has no mention of an EP next to the white marking done on Willingdon, according to experts.
In the new 'excluded part' map, Willingdon Club is marked white
If an area is marked white, a hotel or a residential building can come up in that zone. With no clarity mentioned on this DP map, Willingdon, which has been designated as a green space, could be opened up for other purposes, fear activists.
Open space activist Nayana Kathpali said, "There is no clarity on the map. This is too confusing for the citizens and the state should have been more accurate while putting them up online." Willingdon's management did not comment on the issue.
With no clarity mentioned on this DP map, Willingdon, which has been designated as a green space, could be opened up for other purposes. File Pic
Don't panic
Meanwhile, when mid-day contacted the principal secretary for urban development, Nitin Kareer, he directed us to the BMC's DP department to verify the details. Going by BMC's explanation, the white markings are nothing to be worried about.
A senior BMC official from the DP department said, "The white markings in this case mean nothing, as the final DP sheets will show them the way they were in RDDP. The method of marking these [changes] on EP maps is such that it might confuse citizens, but there is no need to panic, as nothing has been changed, and there will be no kind of residential construction coming up here."
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