Mumbai: Cuffe Parade Residents Plan To Reclaim Section Of CPRA Greens Garden Encroached During COVID-19

Mumbai: The Cuffe Parade Residents Association (CPRA) plans to reclaim a section of the CPRA Greens garden on Captain Prakash Pethe Road that was fenced off by encroachers and rented out for events and festivals. The CPRA has been receiving warnings from the police and the BMC about noisy events on the plot, even as the association argued that encroachers had taken over the land.

About The Case

According to CPRA, the encroachers built an illegal wall across the garden during the COVID-19 epidemic, when security was lax. CPRA adopted the 1200 sq m plot to create a recreational space. While the rest of the plot has been converted into a garden, the section along the busy road has been encroached. CPRA members said that when they confronted the encroachers, they were threatened by persons who boasted of their connections with local politicians. Laura D’Souza, president of CPRA, said that during Navratri, the plot was used for celebrations late into the night.

“I received calls from the police. Do you think I organised the event? If the plot has been encroached, isn’t it the responsibility of the BMC and police to remove the encroachers?” stated D’Souza, who added that the caretaker agreement ended in 2019 and has not been renewed since then. Assistant superintendent of gardens (BMC) S K Aware, said that he will report the matter to the seniors. “We will take action as per procedure. However, the wall did not come up suddenly; it has been there for the last four or five years. I have spoken to the residents. As adopters, it is the final responsibility of the residents’ association to report on the construction of the wall,” said Aware.

D’Souza said that when they confronted the encroachers, they were mocked. “If the agreement has not been renewed, how are residents responsible for encroachment and the noise? There are clinics, a college, and other institutions around the plot, which make it a silent zone,” D’Souza added.

CPRA stated that the encroached plot is not marked in the Development Plan 2034, making it vulnerable to diversion for uses other than as an open recreation area. On October 3, Padmakar Nandekar, CPRA vice president, wrote to the ‘A’ municipal ward office about their plans to demolish the wall on October 8 and have asked for police protection. The office of Rahul Narwekar, the local MLA and Maharashtra Assembly speaker, whose name is displayed on banners erected on the plot, did not respond to calls.

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