December 16, 2025: Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday announced an ambitious green infrastructure roadmap for Mumbai and Thane, centred on the creation of a nearly 300-acre Central Park at the Mahalaxmi racecourse. The announcement came hours before the State Election Commission declared the schedule for municipal corporation elections, including the high-profile Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls.
The proposed Central Park will span 295 acres, combining 125 acres of the Mahalaxmi Racecourse with 170 acres of land along the Coastal Road, making it the largest urban park in the country. The master plan was presented to Shinde at a meeting attended by BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani and architect Hafeez Contractor, who has designed the project.
Shinde said the park would remain completely green at the surface level, with no concrete structures except for walking paths. “This will be the biggest gift to Mumbaikars. The historic legacy of the racecourse will remain untouched,” he said, adding that visitors would be able to watch horse racing while strolling through the park. Beneath the green expanse, a 10 lakh sq ft underground sports complex is planned, featuring international-standard facilities for aquatic sports, boxing, basketball, gymnastics and skating, along with traditional Indian sports such as kabaddi and kho-kho. The complex, he said, will be environmentally friendly.
To streamline access and manage traffic, the park will be linked to the Coastal Road via a 1.2-km underground tunnel, for which a Rs 550-crore tender has already been issued. The underground network will also connect the Nehru Science Centre Metro station on Metro Line 3, extend below Annie Besant Road up to Haji Ali, and integrate with parking facilities along the Coastal Road. Gagrani said the parking area will accommodate around 1,200 cars and 100 buses, with underground access to avoid surface congestion.
Calling the project a “300-acre oxygen park”, Shinde said it would help curb air pollution. He added that road concretisation across Mumbai would be completed by May, while sewage treatment projects are targeted for completion by December 6, 2026. “The Mahayuti government has delivered on its promises,” he said.
The Central Park plan includes a 12-acre city forest, 77 acres of gardens and open concert grounds, and 31 acres for a botanical garden, indoor concert arena and convention facilities. Three interconnected zones will be linked through underground passages. “The racecourse, once accessible only to a few, will now belong to the city,” Shinde said.
Alongside Mumbai’s Central Park, Shinde announced several large-scale projects for Thane, including a 260-metre viewing tower along Thane Creek, proposed to be the tallest in India, on 50 acres. Other initiatives include a convention centre at Kasarvadavli, a 25-acre town park at Kolsheth, an agri–Koli museum, an aquarium and science centre, an international-standard snow park, an amusement and adventure park, a 12.5-acre bird sanctuary, a 25-acre musical concert centre, and a 50-acre ultra-modern sports complex.
The Thane Municipal Corporation will also develop an 18.4-km “Anandvan Green Corridor” linking Sanjay Gandhi National Park near the Mira-Bhayandar boundary. Most projects have entered the tendering stage and will be executed on a build-operate-transfer basis, aimed at expanding open spaces, enhancing sports infrastructure, and improving the overall quality of life in Thane.
Source: The Indian Express
