Mumbai Open Space Row: SVKM Plot Allotment Sparks Political Dispute Over Juhu-Andheri Land

Mumbai residents are in uproar over the proposed lease of open spaces in Juhu and Andheri West. The controversy stems from the allotment of three plots, encompassing 16 acres of land, to the Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal (SVKM) trust. Activists and political figures have called on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to revoke the lease, while BJP Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Amrish Patel has requested the Chief Minister's assistance to prevent the cancellation by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).

The MHADA had granted the trust two plots, totaling around four acres, in Juhu and DN Nagar, Andheri. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) subsequently proposed the allotment of an additional 12-acre plot in Andheri West. Following the lapse of the trust's bid on August 1, the civic body extended its validity by six months, despite earlier statements indicating that bids are valid for only six months, after which unaccepted tenders must be cancelled and reissued.

Amrish Patel, a trustee of SVKM-NMIMS, which manages institutions including the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), appealed to Fadnavis in a letter. He urged the Chief Minister and Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide and MHADA Vice-President and CEO Sanjeev Jaiswal, who owns two of the plots, not to take any "adverse action" based on BJP MLA Ameet Satam's objection to the allotments.

Patel argued that the allotments had been made following due legal procedure and by adhering to eligibility criteria.

Meanwhile, opposition to the proposed allotments comes from Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray and RTI activist Anil Galgali, who have urged the government to retain all three plots as reserved open spaces accessible to the public, as mandated under the Development Plan.