Bandra Reclamation Protest Opposes BMC Proposal for Football Ground
A peaceful protest was held on Sunday at the Neville D’Souza Football Ground at Bandra Reclamation in Mumbai, as residents, footballers, students, and civic representatives gathered to oppose a proposed reservation change that would turn the playground into a convention centre. The protest occurred as the proposal prepares to go before the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) House for final approval this week.
The proposal seeks to amend the city's Development Plan (DP) 2034 by replacing the existing playground reservation on an 8,450-square-metre Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA)-owned plot at Bandra Reclamation with a reservation for an Exhibition Centre. It was recently passed in the BMC's improvement committee despite heated objections from the opposition.
Prominent figures attending the Sunday demonstration included Nigel D’Souza, son of legendary footballer Neville D’Souza, and Mumbai Football Association (MFA) President Sudhakar Rane. In addition to public demonstrations, the MFA has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the proposal, arguing that the decision would destroy one of Mumbai’s most vital football grounds. The MFA has requested an urgent hearing from the court ahead of the civic house presentation scheduled for August 10.
Social activist Furkan Shaikh highlighted that over 50,000 citizens have supported a petition against the plan, asserting that development should not compromise children's right to play. Nazish Shah of the Bandra Residents Association also questioned the necessity of a convention centre over a football ground heavily utilized by local children and sports organizations.
Speaking in the BMC Standing Committee last week, Congress group leader Ashraf Azmi raised a point of order calling on Chairman Prabhakar Shinde to intervene and stop the proposal. Azmi described the location as a key symbol of the city's sporting legacy, claiming that around 400 youth clubs and 300 senior clubs rely on the ground each year, providing training to approximately 8,000 to 10,000 emerging young players.
