The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is under scrutiny following allegations of inaccuracies in its recent notification regarding the Mahalaxmi Racecourse redevelopment. The notification, issued by the chief engineer of the BMC’s development department, outlines plans to transform 120 acres of the racecourse into a central theme park.
Activists and conservationists have flagged several discrepancies in the document. The notification, released on Wednesday, bifurcates the 120-acre plot into three categories: Schedule A, Schedule B, and Schedule C. According to the notification, Schedule A allocates 29.4 acres, Schedule B 77 acres, and Schedule C 1.96 acres. This division totals 108.36 acres—11.76 acres short of the 120.12 acres originally cited by the BMC.
Activists from the Watchdog Foundation have expressed concern over these inconsistencies. Advocate Pimenta, a representative from the NGO, highlighted that Schedule A inaccurately reports the area of Plot C. The discrepancy between the reported 1.96 acres and the total area of 120.12 acres raises questions about the accuracy of the information. Additionally, Schedule A lists the existing racecourse track at 34.12 acres, whereas prior disclosures from the BMC indicated it was 39.90 acres, revealing a 5.78-acre difference.
The BMC has been urged to issue a corrigendum to correct these inaccuracies. The chief engineer of the development plan department was unavailable for comment at the time of publication. This notification forms part of the revisions to the Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR) 2034. The proposed Regulation 13(10) will exclusively apply to the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, excluding other similar properties within the BMC’s jurisdiction. The civic body has allowed a one-month period for public suggestions and objections regarding this modification. The discrepancies in the BMC’s notification not only undermine the transparency of the development process but also raise significant concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the information provided to the public.
