We must strive to preserve open spaces

Juhu residents gather at Pushpa Narsee Park on Sunday. Pic/Anurag Ahire

With the civic authorities planning car parks underneath gardens, and locals opposing the move, a new front has opened in the parking in the city battle. More than 100 people, including locals and activists, gathered at Pushpa Narsee Park in JVPD Scheme, Juhu, recently, demanding that the BMC scrap its plan to build a parking lot underneath the garden. They reiterated their suggestion that parking lots be constructed underneath roads instead.

Acknowledging that parking paucity is a festering problem, they said that parks should be left alone and other viable options explored.

The protesters claimed that in this case, the triangular shape of the garden would not accommodate as many cars as claimed by the authorities. They suggested an alternative site for the proposed parking lot, along a nearby nullah.

Whether or not the suggestion is feasible, it is important to consider options for parking lots.

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Parking spaces underneath gardens means the park or garden is lost forever, despite reassurances from some quarters that it will be rebuilt and given back to locals. It may be, but most of the time, it is not.

Every effort must be made to preserve the few open spaces in the city. Just a few days ago, this paper highlighted BMC garden department officials and on-ground staffers' efforts to create a beautiful corner at an Oshiwara garden with installations made from fallen coconut tree trunks. It seems ridiculous then, that we endanger the few open spaces that we have with these schemes. These gardens are not only enjoyed by locals but also people who live far away from them.

Let us explore all alternatives and put parks over parking in a city where every sliver of green is worth cherishing.