Patwardhan Park underground parking: Durga Puja Committee in Khar seeks BJP MLA Ashish Shelar's help

The Patwardhan Park Durga Puja Committee of Khar wrote a letter to BJP MLA Ashish Shelar requesting him to oppose the BMC's plan to build a parking lot below a plot adjoining the Patwardhan Park in Bandra.

“There are 10 huge trees in the park which work as a canopy to devotees who visit Durga Puja and can have lunger in the soothing shadow of trees. If these trees were cut, then how would the devotees have the lunger in the October heat,” asked the letter.

The committee, which has completed 50 years of Durga Puja, alleged that the proposed plan by BMC will put an end to the annual Puja there.

Durga Puja celebrations in jeopardy

Although the BMC says it is an underground car park, it conveniently fails to mention that the plan will consume the road level areas where the people park their vehicles during the Puja.

Residents of Khar had approached their local representative in their latest bid to scupper the BMC’s plan to build the three-storey car park.

Residents march till Ashish Shelar's house

The residents recently met MLA, Ashish Shelar and former minister and Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray and sought support to their movement.

The residents had called a public meeting in the park to discuss the issue. However, civic officials did not turn up. So the residents visited Shelar’s office to enlist his support.

The BMC floated a tender to build a car park beneath an open plot behind the park on March 6. The estimated cost of the project is Rs75 crore and it can accommodate 288 vehicles.

The BMC recently extended the deadline to submit tenders for the car park for the third time to April 24.