Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Wednesday criticised the Mahayuti government over its recent policy on giving permission to construct five-star hotels and malls on land previously reserved strictly for sports.
The Thackeray camp, in a scathing editorial in the party’s mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, alleged that it was a systematic effort to “swallow” Mumbai’s recreational and sports plots for commercial gain. It has accused the state government of circumventing Supreme Court mandates to facilitate backdoor deals with builders, threatening the city’s dwindling open spaces.
Under the guise of creating ‘Integrated Sports Complexes’, the government has reportedly amended the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR). The policy has proposed a land use split formula where 70 per cent of the land remains for sports, while 30 per cent is allocated for commercial use. The policy applies to open spaces exceeding five hectares in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and ten hectares across the rest of Maharashtra, said the editorial.
The Thackeray camp has labelled the initiative a “Builder Sports Policy”, claiming it serves as a formula for corruption rather than athletic development. “There are concerns that the 30 per cent commercial allowance will result in 100 per cent of the profits flowing to contractors and political partners, with builders eventually seizing the remaining 70 per cent of the land,” it said.
According to the editorial, the administration defends the policy by stating that modern infrastructure is essential for hosting national and international competitions. However, the editorial has questioned why the Urban Development Department — rather than the Sports Department — is leading this initiative and where the revenue from these commercial sales will be directed.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena claimed that the policy puts several historic and vital open spaces at risk, including Shivaji Park, Azad Maidan, Cross Maidan, and gymkhanas at Marine Lines in Mumbai and Gaodevi Maidan, Central Maidan, and Dadoji Konddev Maidan in Thane. It has raised concerns regarding the eventual commercialisation of iconic venues like Wankhede and Brabourne Stadiums.
With children already forced to play in streets and parking lots due to existing encroachments, the loss of these grounds to “elite clubhouses” for the ultra-wealthy, purportedly involving partnerships with government figures, will be a terminal blow to the state’s sports culture. If these spaces are replaced by hotels, future generations will only ever see playgrounds in photographs, warned the editorial.
The Thackeray camp has demanded transparency from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on these land selections and where the revenue from the 30 per cent commercial sales will ultimately go. It further said that clarity is urgently needed as citizens and athletes prepare to protest for every “inch of land” to protect the city’s infrastructure from what they describe as “mafia-style collusion”.
–IANS
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