Mumbai: In a desperate bid to find empty space in the city, BMC officials have usurped the playground of a municipal school, and are using it to dump cars that they have seized from the Sion-Koliwada region.
Almost 200 children attend the Telang Marg Municipal School in Matunga, and the patch of land where they would earlier run about during breaks, is now being used to dump towed vehicles. MiD DAY visited the ground, to discover that it is nothing short of an eyesore: a wasteland lined by uneven rows of vehicles, some of which are gigantic trucks. Adding to the unseemly landscape are garbage bins and a looming towing truck.
While some officials insisted that this was a temporary arrangement, others revealed that the civic body is now mulling plans to split the playground into two halves: one of which will be used permanently by the BMC to dump the seized vehicles.
Kashyap Bhatia, a resident of Matunga, said, "We protested against the use of the playground for dumping cars, but for some reason they did not pay any heed to our complaints."
It does not hurt the BMC that these dumped cars help them rake in large sums of revenue. "The BMC charges a fine of nearly Rs. 7,500 for every car that it seizes. So it is not a matter of surprise that it is willing to hamper the development of the school kids for the sake of monetary profits," said another officer, requesting anonymity.
A retired officer from BMC's Education department said, "A playground is built with the explicit intention of children playing in it. Its use for any purpose other than that is prohibited. The BMC is flouting norms by appropriating the space."
BMC's take
Sanjay Kurhade, assistant municipal commissioner under whose jurisdiction falls the F-North ward where the school is, confirmed that the playground was being used to store seized cars. "We regularly undertake drives, wherein we tow away unlawfully parked vehicles from the roads. This playground is used to store such cars confiscated from the Sion-Koliwada area," he said.
Another ward official revealed that the vehicles were originally meant to be transported to the Andheri MIDC, but lack of towing trucks had forced them to resort to the nearby school ground. "If we send the vehicles to Andheri, the towing truck will only be able to transport one or two cars every day. With access to the playground, however, we can tow at least five vehicles every day," said Kurhade.
Defending the decision, he added, "We only use a small corner of the playground to dump the seized vehicles. The rest of the ground is left for the students to play in. Moreover, it is monsoon, and the kids hardly venture into the playground."
Mirza Baig, BMC's education officer, said, "It is an internal problem faced by the department, and we will sort it out. After the monsoons, we will only use half the playground. Kids can play in the other half."
Almost 200 children attend the Telang Marg Municipal School in Matunga, and the patch of land where they would earlier run about during breaks, is now being used to dump towed vehicles. MiD DAY visited the ground, to discover that it is nothing short of an eyesore: a wasteland lined by uneven rows of vehicles, some of which are gigantic trucks. Adding to the unseemly landscape are garbage bins and a looming towing truck.
While some officials insisted that this was a temporary arrangement, others revealed that the civic body is now mulling plans to split the playground into two halves: one of which will be used permanently by the BMC to dump the seized vehicles.
Kashyap Bhatia, a resident of Matunga, said, "We protested against the use of the playground for dumping cars, but for some reason they did not pay any heed to our complaints."
It does not hurt the BMC that these dumped cars help them rake in large sums of revenue. "The BMC charges a fine of nearly Rs. 7,500 for every car that it seizes. So it is not a matter of surprise that it is willing to hamper the development of the school kids for the sake of monetary profits," said another officer, requesting anonymity.
A retired officer from BMC's Education department said, "A playground is built with the explicit intention of children playing in it. Its use for any purpose other than that is prohibited. The BMC is flouting norms by appropriating the space."
BMC's take
Sanjay Kurhade, assistant municipal commissioner under whose jurisdiction falls the F-North ward where the school is, confirmed that the playground was being used to store seized cars. "We regularly undertake drives, wherein we tow away unlawfully parked vehicles from the roads. This playground is used to store such cars confiscated from the Sion-Koliwada area," he said.
Another ward official revealed that the vehicles were originally meant to be transported to the Andheri MIDC, but lack of towing trucks had forced them to resort to the nearby school ground. "If we send the vehicles to Andheri, the towing truck will only be able to transport one or two cars every day. With access to the playground, however, we can tow at least five vehicles every day," said Kurhade.
Defending the decision, he added, "We only use a small corner of the playground to dump the seized vehicles. The rest of the ground is left for the students to play in. Moreover, it is monsoon, and the kids hardly venture into the playground."
Mirza Baig, BMC's education officer, said, "It is an internal problem faced by the department, and we will sort it out. After the monsoons, we will only use half the playground. Kids can play in the other half."
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