Mumbai: Jawaharlal Nehru Garden Reopens after Three-Decade Struggle

After a 32-year struggle, the Nariman Point Churchgate Citizens' Association (NPCCA) finally opened a public garden in their locality. The Jawaharlal Nehru Garden on Madam Cama Road in Churchgate was inaugurated by Devendra Fadnavis, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, on Sunday, August 27. 

🕖7pm | 27-8-2023📍Churchgate, Mumbai | संध्या. ७ वा | २७-८-२०२३📍चर्चगेट, मुंबई.

🔸 Inauguration of beautification works at Nehru Garden, Madam Cama Road in A Ward
🔸 'ए' विभागाच्या मादाम कामा मार्गावरील नेहरू उद्यानाच्या सुशोभिकरण केलेल्या कामांचे लोकार्पण@rahulnarwekar… pic.twitter.com/YXUwgSvo1I

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) August 27, 2023

Fadnavis had played a crucial role in removing the government's encroachments from the land.

The NPCCA is a civic organisation. It had been fighting for the restoration of the garden since October 1992. The land was reserved for recreational purposes. But it was occupied by various government buildings and organisations for decades. The NPCCA had to approach the Bombay High Court (HC) and file a writ petition in 2013 to get justice.

In March 2016, the high court delivered a landmark judgement that stressed the importance of open spaces and ordered the demolition of all the structures on the land. The court said that Mumbai was becoming a concrete jungle and that citizens had a right to live in a clean environment. The state government was directed to make an appropriate decision within six months.

However, the implementation of the court order was not easy. The NPCCA faced many challenges and delays in getting the state government to act against itself. The biggest hurdle was that every encroachment in the garden was state government property. The NPCCA had to meet several officials, politicians, and parties to persuade them to follow the law.

The breakthrough came when they met Fadnavis in Mantralaya in 2018. Fadnavis, who was then the chief minister, listened to their plea and took a bold and honest decision. He said that if the structures were illegal and the courts had ordered them to be demolished, then they had to comply with that. He instructed the concerned authorities to clear the land and restore the garden.

In a speech, NPCCA president Atul Kumar expressed his gratitude to Fadnavis for his support. He also thanked all the other stakeholders who contributed to their victory. He said that this garden was the result of cooperative behaviour and teamwork. He said that open spaces were not a luxury but a necessity for Mumbai and that they should be fiercely protected.