The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has withdrawn its decision to convert a portion of the closed cycling track in front of Shanmukhanand Hall in Sion into a pay-and-park facility.
The municipal corporation’s hydraulic engineering department, which owns the land, had issued a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the pay-and-park proposal in June.
The survey department has now objected to the project as it violates the Bombay High Court (HC) order on encroachments on land above the underground pipeline that supplies drinking water to Mumbai, officials said.
As per the court order, a 10-metre buffer on either side of the land above the water pipeline should be kept free from any encroachments, including parked vehicles, said an official from the BMC’s hydraulic engineering department.
“The pipeline cannot withstand the extra pressure. We have already removed the encroachments to avoid any potential hazards,” the official added.
Built in 2020, the cycling track runs from Sion to Mulund and is 39 km long. However, residents of Sion had earlier this year claimed that the track was not maintained.
It has been the subject of unauthorised encroachments in the last five years. They have proposed converting the site into a regulated parking area, especially since it is close to Shanmukhanand Hall and Gandhi Market - which sees over 2,000 tourists visit every day and causes frequent traffic jams.
In June, the BMC's hydraulic engineering department approved the pay-and-park proposal. It stressed that no permanent construction would be allowed on the site.
However, they have now objected to the proposal, as it violates the Bombay High Court's directions on a 2006 petition, the department's survey department said in a letter.
“As per the observations of the Survey Department, it is appropriate not to allow the pay-and-park scheme at the proposed site in compliance with the directions of the High Court,” the letter said.
Payal Shah, a member of the United Societies of Sion, which has been campaigning for parking space, criticised the decision.
“How does regular parking qualify as encroachment? Ironically, illegal shanties and garbage are ignored, while legitimate uses like parking are prevented,” she said, citing High Court orders.
Adding to the frustration of residents, a Rs 9 crore tender for the maintenance of the cycling track has also been cancelled due to lack of funds. Efforts to involve private companies to maintain the track as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives have also not yielded any response, residents said.
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