Earlier Patwardhan Park plan would not have spared garden

Residents held a drum session at Patwardhan Park on May 13 to show such events are held there and it is not closed

Recent findings have unveiled fresh information that the BMC officials were considering the construction of a multi-level car parking lot above ground at Patwardhan Park. This proposal encountered obstacles in compliance with the Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR) 2034, which strictly permit the construction of only two basement levels without any superstructure above ground.

To accommodate three basements and a storey structure, the consultant recommended changing the plot reservation from a recreational ground to a public utility for parking. However, BMC officials have denied having any such proposal at present.

In response to an RTI query, Bandra residents and activists received new information about the parking lot plans at Patwardhan Park. A letter from Structwel Designers & Consultant, appointed as a consultant for the parking lot, mentioned the need to seek approval for constructing three basements, as DCPR 2034 permits a maximum of two basements. The letter suggested changing the plot reservation category from recreational ground to public utility for parking due to the specific circumstances of the plot being surrounded by roads, a commercial complex, and a garden/recreation building.

The letter also referred to a site visit conducted by AMC (Project) P Velarasu on February 2, 2023, wherein the extension of the basement parking building above ground was discussed. Sunil Rathod, the chief engineer of the development plan, clarified that there was a query from the road department regarding parking lot provisions in DCPR 2034, but there were no current proposals to change the plot reservation.

Another BMC official stated that changing the reservation of garden/recreation plots would not be easy and entails a lengthy procedure.. "The BMC wants to fool the public that the tender has now been redesigned for two levels, but its own revised drawing shows three levels. The actual plan is to build a multi-storey structure above ground and it is revealed by various letters acquired through RTI. There was a clear plan for a 10-storey building at Patwardhan Park," said Zoru Bhathena, an activist. Local residents have been protesting the construction of an underground parking lot beneath the open space for months.

In a previous RTI reply, the BMC disclosed a map for a 10-storey parking tower with two basement floors at Patwardhan Park, deviating from the earlier tender notice that mentioned a three-storey underground lot. The RTI response also showed that local MLA Ashish Shelar had requested BMC civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal to build a parking lot at Patwardhan Park.