Mumbai, Shiv Sena MLA Varun Sardesai has claimed that a public park in Mumbai’s BKC area has been turned into a “private enclave” for MMRDA officials, urging Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to order a probe.
In a letter dated May 27, Sardesai alleged that the nearly five-acre “City Park” developed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority in BKC is accessible only to MMRDA officials and their families residing in the Jetwan staff quarters in the area, he claimed.
Taxpayers’ money is being used for maintenance and upkeep of the garden and sports infrastructure, while premium recreational facilities, including tennis courts and cricket turfs, remain inaccessible to ordinary citizens, alleged the Bandra East MLA.
Sardesai also alleged that exclusive sports events for MMRDA officials were reportedly being conducted within the premises located in the city’s key business hub.
In the letter, the Sena legislator said that it was “deeply disturbing” that public land in one of Mumbai’s most valuable locations was allegedly being treated as a “private enclave for a select group of bureaucrats,” thereby denying common citizens access to open spaces.
He raised concerns over what he termed an abuse of authority, the misuse of public resources and infrastructure, the illegal gatekeeping of public land intended for citizens, and the violation of transparency and public accountability principles.
Sardesai urged the state government to immediately order a high-level inquiry into the alleged restrictions at the park and suspend the officials responsible pending the probe.
He also demanded that all files, permissions and decisions related to the operational status and accessibility of the park be made public.
The MLA further called for immediate restoration of unrestricted public access to the park and all recreational facilities developed there, besides an audit of public funds spent on maintenance and development of the facilities.
“Public infrastructure created using taxpayers’ money must remain accessible to taxpayers,” Sardesai said in the letter, urging government intervention in the larger public interest.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
