Residents of Bandra West have urged the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to take action after a plot reserved for a garden on Sherly Rajan Road, near Carter Road, was allegedly occupied by a road contractor for storing construction material and operating a site office.
According to residents, the open plot has been used since January to store cement bags, steel rods, construction equipment and other machinery. They said the space, which is meant for public recreational use, has instead become part of the contractor’s work area.
The BMC reportedly acquired the plot from a private owner around two years ago. Under the Development Plan 2034, the land is reserved for a garden. Residents had expected the civic body to develop the property as an open space for the surrounding community.
Residents Await Action
Residents said civic officials had previously assured them that the plot would be cleared before the monsoon. However, former Congress corporator Asif Zakaria said no meaningful action had followed.
A BMC official from the H/West ward said, “We will look into the issue and reinstate the garden space.”
The residents said the open ground has traditionally been used by children and youngsters from neighbouring buildings, the local Gaothan area and nearby slum settlements. Cricket, football and volleyball are among the activities regularly played there.
“This falls in the Gaothan area. The front portion is dotted by residential buildings, and the inside has row houses and cottages of the Bandra village. There is a Baudh Temple nearby. So apart from sporting activities such as cricket and football, it is used by the temple for events,” the resident said.
Former Corporator Raises Complaint
Zakaria had written to the BMC on February 20, 2026, asking the civic administration to make the plot “accessible to citizens for recreation rather than being diverted for use by a contractor for operational convenience.”
He also sought an inquiry into how the reserved garden land was allegedly permitted for contractor use and called for the immediate removal of construction material and restoration of the site.
Questions Over Previous Use
Residents also alleged that the plot was used to create a temporary pond for Ganesh immersion last year and that materials used for the installation were not fully removed afterwards.
“BMC dug up the premises of the ground and installed the pond, which it fortified this with sacks of sand. Once the pond was uninstalled, BMC did not even care to remove the sacks,” said the resident.
Residents are now seeking restoration of the reserved land and its development as a public garden and recreational space.
Source: Mid-day
