Mumbai: Residents of Vakola and Kalina came out in huge numbers on Sunday to join a protest in front of Grand Hyatt hotel in Santacruz alleging encroachment by the hotel management of an open space meant for a playground.
The protest march, led by local muncipal councillor Brian Miranda, started from St Anthony Street in Vakola. Mr. Miranda accused the hotel management of illegally occupying around 3000 square feet of open space. He said he had first complained about this to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in 2013. In 2015, former muncipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte had ordered a probe into the delay in getting the land handed over to the citizens. However, Mr. Miranda said, the hotel administration had failed to do so.
Derek Rodrigues (61), a resident of Kalina, who lives near the hotel, remembers the days when the ground was free for public use. “In the 70s we spent our youth playing hockey on that ground,” he said and wondered whether the BMC was doing enough to provide play grounds to children.
“The land belongs to BMC. The hotel has illegally encroached upon it. It is not permitted by the development control rule,” said Nicholas Almeida a former municipal councillor who is also trustee of an NGO, Watchdog Foundation.
Mr. Almeida claimed that the 2034 development plan of the BMC which was formed in 2016, shows the open space as a plot reserved for play ground for children, but right now it lies within the compounds of the hotel.
The protest ended with Mr. Miranda being allowed to meet the hotel management. “I had a meeting with the management and they have agreed to talk to the municipal commissioner to chalk out a plan on how the land should be handed over,” he said. The Grand Hyatt hotel administration could not be reached.
The writer is an intern at The Hindu
