Nagpur: Central Nagpur residents on Friday sought mayor Neeta Thakre’s intervention against the Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) proposed 18-storey commercial complex inside Gandhibagh Garden — the only major open space left in an already congested locality.Under the banner of Gandhibagh Garden Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, and led by former corporator Raman Paigwar and Congress corporator Wasim Khan, residents gathered at the NMC headquarters, raising slogans of “Struggle on, save Gandhibagh garden”, before submitting a memorandum to the mayor demanding immediate cancellation of the project.According to the Samiti, NMC proposed constructing an 18-storey commercial complex under a design-build-finance-operate-and-sell (DBFOS) model by merging land of the existing G+1 Sokta Bhavan building and a significant portion of the garden. While the Sokta Bhavan structure occupies about 6,700sqft, residents allege nearly 68,404sqft — close to 1/3 of the approximately 2 lakh sqft garden — was earmarked for commercial use.However, deputy municipal commissioner (garden department) Ganesh Rathod said he was not aware of how much of the garden’s space would be acquired for the project. In contrast, a senior official from NMC’s project dept claimed “around 300sqft of the garden’s space would be acquired” for the commercial complex, indicating conflicting versions within the civic body.Residents claimed that a letter of acceptance dated Nov 6, 2025, was issued to a developer, granting development as well as sale rights.Locals are apprehensive that nearly 27 trees may be affected if the plan proceeds. The Gandhibagh area, located off Central Avenue, was already declared a congested zone. The proposal includes parking space for 382 cars and 566 two-wheelers, raising concerns of severe traffic snarls on the busy arterial road.On Thursday, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court took suo motu cognisance of the absence of a designated playground in Hindustan Colony on Amravati Road and registered a PIL, directing authorities to examine the availability of open recreational spaces across the city. Against this backdrop, residents argue that if NMC proceeds with the proposed multi-storey commercial complex by acquiring any portion of Gandhibagh garden, it could risk inviting contempt proceedings, as the move would run contrary to the court’s emphasis on protecting and augmenting open public utility spaces.Calling Gandhibagh garden the last remaining open green space in central Nagpur, residents urged mayor Thakre to halt the project and conduct a public hearing, warning that the fight is about safeguarding the city’s shrinking green lungs. The mayor assured them she would look into their demand.
