The Royal Western India Turf Club and BMC have signed a formal leasing agreement, making Mumbai Central Park, a 300-acre park in South Mumbai, a reality.
IS Chahal
- Brihanmumbai Muni cipal Corporation (BMC) signed a long-term official lease agreement with the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) for 91 acres, which was a historic and unprecedented achievement.
The area, which borders 175 acres of the coastal garden under development (on land recovered from the sea), is to be leased to RWITC in exchange for a permanent transfer of title and possession of the remaining 120 acres of racecourse land to BMC.
This amicable return of ownership/possession of 120 acres of land from RWITC back to BMC after nearly 100 years of lease/possession with RWITC is a unique milestone in BMC’s history.
The lease was signed between BMC and RWITC authorities on 2nd July 2024 in the presence of Hon’ble Shri Eknath Shinde, Chief Minister of Maharashtra. BMC has already taken possession of the 120 acres of land, marking a significant step in the park’s development.
The BMC administration will now speed up the development of an international-standard Mumbai Central Park spanning approximately 300 acres in downtown Mumbai, modelled on the best parks in the world.
The entire 300 acres of the park will be open to the public, emphasising its role as a public space.
The initial cost is Rs 650 crores, which is budgeted in the current year’s BMC Budget.
BMC has already deployed globally renowned consultants from the USA who have prepared a detailed design to develop a world-class Mumbai Central Park on the lines of Central Park in Manhattan, USA, and Hyde Park in London and dedicate it to Mumbai citizens.
(Writer is the Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra)
