Mumbai: Even as Bandraites have been protesting the proposed conversion of Neville D’Souza football ground at Reclamation into a convention centre, similar fears have gripped residents of Pali village in the same suburb. Citizens have questioned ongoing construction of a sports facility by an NGO on a large plot owned by the collectorate, which has been an open playground for decades. As per documents available in the suburban collector’s office, the collectorate has allocated Rs 6 crore for construction of a “welfare centre and healthcare utility”. The work is being undertaken by an NGO named I Love Mumbai Foundation (unrelated to the NGO of the late noted jurist Nana Chudasama). City and suburban collectors are empowered to distribute funds for projects under the annual district development plan, including those recommended by MLAs and MPs. Shiv Sena politician Rahool Kanal, who is president of the foundation as well as of Pickleball Association of Maharashtra, made a representation to local MLA Ashish Shelar requesting allocation of funds for welfare activity through this plan, which was forwarded to the suburban collectorate and approved. Kanal said he is building a multi-sport cricket turf and pickleball court. “It will be open for local players. The land ownership will remain with the state. There is no change of user or ownership. There will be no construction beyond permissible limits. We will levy a nominal fee of Rs 10 or so just to cover maintenance costs,” he said. In 2012, local activists Colman Pereira and Daphne Warapen were among four who campaigned against the plot’s encroachment by a private club, which built a tennis court. “We got the tennis court demolished,” said Pereira. The activists’ later appeals were upheld by the then collector, followed by the additional commissioner Konkan division court as well as Bombay HC.They questioned the legal propriety of the current initiative. “How can the current collector overturn the order of his own predecessor—and HC—which declared the site a free open playground for the public?” Pereira said. “Local boys cannot afford to spend thousands to join private clubs in Bandra.” Warapen said the project appears to be massive since its completion date is 2027.
