Bandra residents have sought Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation action after a garden-reserved plot on Sherly Rajan Road, off Carter Road in Bandra West, was allegedly used by a road contractor as a site office and storage area for construction material since January.
Residents said the plot contains cement sacks, steel rods and machinery linked to road construction. The land was acquired by the civic body from a private party around two years ago and is reserved as a garden under Mumbai’s Development Plan 2034.
The residents said the open space was expected to be developed for community use but has instead been occupied by material associated with the contractor’s operations. They also said civic officials had assured them that the plot would be reclaimed before the monsoon, but no action had been taken as of Thursday, according to the report.
An official from the BMC’s H-West ward said the civic body would examine the issue and restore the space. “We will look into the issue and reinstate the garden space,” the official said.
The plot is used by children from neighbouring buildings, the Gaothan area and adjoining slum settlements for recreational activities, residents said. Cricket, football and volleyball are among the activities conducted there. A resident said the plot also serves the nearby Baudh Temple during events.
“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.
The issue was first raised in February by former Congress corporator Asif Zakaria, who wrote to the BMC on February 20, 2026. Zakaria urged the civic body to make the plot accessible to citizens for recreation rather than allowing it to be diverted for a contractor’s operational convenience.
He also sought an inquiry into how and under whose approval the garden-reserved plot was permitted to be used by the contractor. His requests included the immediate removal of the construction material and restoration of the plot for public use.
Residents also raised concerns about material left behind after a temporary immersion pond was created at the site during Ganesh visarjan last year. According to one resident, the BMC dug up part of the ground and reinforced the pond with sacks of sand. The resident alleged that the sacks remained on the premises after the pond was dismantled.
The BMC’s H-West ward has said it will examine the matter and reinstate the garden space. The next step is the civic body’s action on clearing the plot and returning it to community use.
