Public park at racecourse to be Senas poll promise - By Chaitanya Marpakwar (Mirror)
Posted on - 16 Jun 2014
Public park at racecourse to be Sena’s poll promise
By Chaitanya Marpakwar
Mumbai Mirror
The conversion of Mahalaxmi racecourse into a public park on the lines of New York's Central Park will be one of Shiv Sena's main poll planks for Mumbai in the run up to the assembly elections in October, the party's top leadership has revealed.
The party, which has released detailed plans of what it wants to do with the 225-acre racecourse, will mobilise support for the project in the coming months.
The public park plan will also be included in the party's election manifesto.
Shiv Sena's aggressive position on the racecourse follows the ruling Congress-NCP's proposal to develop a dayand-night heliport facility at the racecourse. The Sena believes that in a city starved for open spaces, a 225-acre ground cannot be restricted only the city's elites.
(An artist’s impression of the proposed park coming up at Mahalaxmi Racecource. The Sena believes that in a city starved for open spaces, a 225-acre ground cannot be restricted only to the city’s elites)
Only a part of the racecourse, controlled by the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), is open to the public. The Sena believes that the public access to the ground will decrease further if the heliport comes up on the racecourse land.
RWITC chairman Vivek Jain on Saturday said he has heard about the Shiv Sena's plan to develop a public park on the racecourse land and added that he has sought an appointment with the party's chief Uddhav Thackeray to discuss how the racecourse can co-exist with the public park. "There is a lot of open space in the middle of the racing track. People have access to all the open space. Many people use the space for yoga, riding and judo classes. We will try to convince the Shiv Sena that if at all they want to build a theme park, it can be done without disturbing the racing activity," he said.
Jain said the RWITC wants to settle the matter amicably with the BMC and Shiv Sena. "Even if a park comes up, it should not disturb the racing and sporting activity. The RWITC wants the open space to leave a lasting impression on the people of Mumbai," he said Sena sources said the party will launch an agitation if the government goes ahead with its heliport plan or renews the WRIT lease.
Party leaders said Uddhav has consulted several bureaucrats, including some from the BMC, before finalising the plan for the park. The plan includes walkways, water fountains, a sports centre, health centre, gymnasium, a cricket pitch and basketball and tennis courts.
The RWITC's 99-year lease came to an end in 2013. Out of the 225 acres of land which covers the race course, twothirds is owned by the state government and the rest by the BMC.
