Mumbai: Amid the controversy over the proposed restoration of reservation of Bandra’s Neville D’souza Football Ground from a playground to a convention centre, minister and Bandra West MLA Ashish Shelar told TOI that while he was in favour of the sport, the plot’s original reservation could not be altered merely to suit a particular use.He said temporary or practical use of the land as a football ground should not be confused with its statutory reservation. “One needs to understand the history of the plot,” Shelar said, pointing out that the Mhada-owned land was originally reserved for a convention centre and not a playground. He asserted that the current proposal is only an attempt to restore its original reservation. Shelar said he had served as chairperson of Mumbai District Football Association and had ensured that the land was made available to the football fraternity to prevent it from being encroached upon in the early 2000s. However, he added, this did not mean that the original reservation could now be changed. Shelar said he was open to a dialogue on the issue and would also support providing an alternative football facility in the same area. He said if anyone wants to play politics over the issue, he would deal with them politically, a likely jab at Shiv Sena (UBT) that has put up a stiff opposition to BMC’s proposal as well as to the alleged takeover of other open spaces in the city. Mumbai Football Association has challenged BMC’s move in Bombay HC, seeking to retain the plot as a playground. The next hearing is on Aug 24. Mario Fishery, trustee of Mumbai Citizens Forum, said the change proposed during the peak of the FIFA World Cup fever was particularly disheartening for football enthusiasts like him. “For a city like Mumbai, we need more such facilities where young talent can be nurtured and given an opportunity to play. Having played for Mumbai myself, I feel that a city of our size and population deserves to have more, not fewer, football grounds.” Vidya Vaidya, chairperson of Bandra Reclamation Area Volunteers Organisation, said it was best to adhere to the approved layout. However, with the matter now before HC, it would be appropriate to let the judiciary decide on the issue, she added. Sena (UBT)’s Aaditya Thackeray is MFA’s president. The HC petition was moved its vice-president Ryan Menezes, whose wife, Akshata, had contested the recent BMC polls on a Sena (UBT) ticket but lost of Congress’s Karen Dmello.
