MLC Rahul Narvekar enters garden talks between Cuffe Parade Residents Association and collector

A delegation led by MLC Rahul Narvekar met the city collector Sampada Mehta for addressing the issues faced by the Cuffe Parade residents over Bayview Marina garden which is a government land and is in the possession of the Cuffe Parade Residents Association (CPRA) for its maintenance.

Mehta had written to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for taking over the land and its maintenance and make it open to all. The CPRA has been accused of not allowing slum dwellers to enter the garden leading to several complaints being filed with the collector.

"The garden has been maintained by the CPRA for a long time. The possession of the garden should be given to them and they should also ensure that all people can use the facility and not only by the people residing in the buildings," said Narvekar.

"We have given a letter to the collector and she has assured that adequate decision will be taken to protect the patch of government land," added Narvekar.

However, the residents have got a little respite after being supported by the local public representatives, the residents are hopeful that the lease of the plot will be increased by the government.

"We had written to the collector to increase the lease so that we can not only protect the land from encroachments but also maintain it with greenery. We will be meeting the state revenue minister to request him to instruct the collector for increasing the lease of the land.", said Padmakar Nandekar, Secretary General, CPRA.