BMC DP draft misses out iconic locations
Siddhivinayak temple given no tag while Amboli’s St Blaise church marked as a cemetry by BMC.
The draft of the Development Plan (DP) prepared by the BMC has once again given rise to unprecedented confusion and disappointment as it has not only left out iconic city structures, but has also wrongly tagged many.
Just like the mistakes in the previous DP, which toppled the former BMC head from power, famous Mumbai landmarks like the Mahalakshmi and Mumbadevi temples continue to be labelled as commercial and residential zones. But BMC officials have claimed that they cannot tag each and every site in the plan and so have dismissed claims of an alleged goof-up in the DP that has been uploaded onto the corporation website.
Other errors include the St Blaise Church at Amboli, which was marked as a commercial and residential zone in the earlier DP, being marked as a cemetery in the new one.
Ajoy Mehta, BMC commissioner, however disagreed with the view that the prominent places omitted by the corporation meant that they ceased to exist.
“Not every structure can be labelled in the DP. The reservation is identified on the basis of the larger utility of the area. Hence, a wrong area-tag does not mean that the civic body has neglected the heritage, religious or iconic structures located in that particular area,” Mehta said.
“We want feedback from locals and experts. This is the reason why the DP, which is still being completed, has been put up on the website. Valid suggestion and observations will be taken into consideration and changes will be made accordingly, before inking the final draft,” Mehta added.
Further clarifying about the ongoing ambiguity among experts and citizens, the civic chief claimed that when particular areas are tagged for its existing utility, other prominent and heritage structures falling in its jurisdiction or vicinity would come in the annexed list of those areas.
Earlier this year, former BMC chief Sitaram Kunte was transferred, following unprecedented controversy over the goof-ups in the previous DP. Facing flak from several quarters of the society for “silly goof-ups” in the DP plan, the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government then transferred Kunte and appointed senior IAS officer Ajoy Mehta as the chief of the BMC.
The DP plan prepared during the tenure of Kunte was scrapped and the new civic commissioner was assigned the task of rectifying the errors and making a new DP for the city.
The draft of the Development Plan (DP) prepared by the BMC has once again given rise to unprecedented confusion and disappointment as it has not only left out iconic city structures, but has also wrongly tagged many.
Just like the mistakes in the previous DP, which toppled the former BMC head from power, famous Mumbai landmarks like the Mahalakshmi and Mumbadevi temples continue to be labelled as commercial and residential zones. But BMC officials have claimed that they cannot tag each and every site in the plan and so have dismissed claims of an alleged goof-up in the DP that has been uploaded onto the corporation website.
After the new DP’s scrutiny by a watchdog NGO, its volunteers observed that several prominent religious places, including ancient churches, are missing from the plan prepared by the civic authorities. According to their observations, the civic body has not only wrongly tagged prominent temples, but even missed iconic locations like the Siddhivinayak temple.
Other errors include the St Blaise Church at Amboli, which was marked as a commercial and residential zone in the earlier DP, being marked as a cemetery in the new one.
Ajoy Mehta, BMC commissioner, however disagreed with the view that the prominent places omitted by the corporation meant that they ceased to exist.
“Not every structure can be labelled in the DP. The reservation is identified on the basis of the larger utility of the area. Hence, a wrong area-tag does not mean that the civic body has neglected the heritage, religious or iconic structures located in that particular area,” Mehta said.
“We want feedback from locals and experts. This is the reason why the DP, which is still being completed, has been put up on the website. Valid suggestion and observations will be taken into consideration and changes will be made accordingly, before inking the final draft,” Mehta added.
Further clarifying about the ongoing ambiguity among experts and citizens, the civic chief claimed that when particular areas are tagged for its existing utility, other prominent and heritage structures falling in its jurisdiction or vicinity would come in the annexed list of those areas.
Earlier this year, former BMC chief Sitaram Kunte was transferred, following unprecedented controversy over the goof-ups in the previous DP. Facing flak from several quarters of the society for “silly goof-ups” in the DP plan, the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government then transferred Kunte and appointed senior IAS officer Ajoy Mehta as the chief of the BMC.
The DP plan prepared during the tenure of Kunte was scrapped and the new civic commissioner was assigned the task of rectifying the errors and making a new DP for the city.
