Mumbai: Why is civic body so adamant, fed-up Khar residents ask

The tender dates for the construction of an underground parking lot at Patwardhan Park have been postponed once again, marking the ninth time, this time for a duration of two months. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) introduced an estimated Rs 75 crore tender for the project in March. Since then, the tender dates have undergone several extensions. The matter is currently in court, with a hearing expected on September 13.

According to the corrigendum to the tender, the last date for the sale of the tender has been extended from August 25 to October 25, 2023. Petitioners Bhathena and Alan Abraham had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court in May, opposing the construction of an underground facility beneath an open space.

The hearing for this matter is now scheduled for September 13. "The BMC is persistently pursuing the project despite strong opposition from residents and despite knowing it is wrong. This is wholly unacceptable," expressed Zoru Bhathena, one of the petitioners.

The contentious issue of constructing a three-level underground facility beneath an open space has been the subject of prolonged debate. Following a site visit and a meeting with the local MLA, the civic body floated a tender on March 6 to build the underground parking at Patwardhan Park in Bandra West, alongside two other parking lots - one in Fort and another in Worli. Initially, the final date for tender submission was April 3.

However, the process experienced initial delays, with two extensions granted for a pre-bid meeting. Subsequently, the dates continued to be postponed. After two more extensions on March 16 and March 23, and the pre-bid meeting took place on March 31. On April 5, a meeting was held with citizens at the H west ward office, during which several residents raised objections to the project. Despite the opposition, the BMC proceeded with the project, further extending the tender submission date to May 9.

In the previous month, the BMC separated the tender procedures for the other two parking lots from Patwardhan Park, as no objections were raised for those locations. Now, for the ninth time, the deadline for submitting responses has been extended. Initially, the BMC had been extending the deadlines by a week, but this time, the extension spans two months. "There is no limit on extension or time period for the tender," explained an official from the BMC.

Rs 75cr
Estimated cost of the project