BMC Approves Rezoning of Neville D'Souza Ground in Bandra for Convention Centre
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) general body on Tuesday night approved changing the land reservation of the Neville D'Souza football ground in Bandra Reclamation from a playground to an exhibition and convention centre. The civic body's Improvements Committee had previously cleared the proposal in June.
The decision has triggered legal opposition from the Mumbai Football Association (MFA), which has approached the Bombay High Court to challenge the rezoning. Formal replies in the matter are scheduled to be submitted by August 24. While civic and state officials have stated that a replacement ground will be provided, the timeline and location remain central concerns for the sporting community.
The Bandra Reclamation plot covers approximately 8,450 square metres, or just over two acres. It currently houses a FIFA-standard football turf featuring seating capacity for roughly 5,000 spectators. The facility serves as the primary full-sized pitch in regular use across Mumbai, hosting official MFA leagues and catering to an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 players each year.
The facility is named after Neville D'Souza, the Goan-born Indian striker who became the first Asian footballer to score a hat-trick at the Olympic Games during the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) land was leased or allotted to the football association around 2011, named in 2015, and upgraded with its current artificial turf by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in 2018.
The push for rezoning stems from older planning records. A 1983 Bandra Reclamation layout had originally reserved a larger parcel in the area for a convention complex. Although Development Plan 2034 marked the specific plot as a playground to reflect the established football ground, MHADA sought to restore the original convention reservation, arguing that the locality lacks a dedicated convention venue and that the change would generate revenue.
