BMC Proposes Deleting Ambivali Garden Reservation for Jogeshwari Temple Revamp

A proposal to delete a 1,840-square-metre portion of a Garden and Park reservation on a plot in Ambivali, Jogeshwari, to facilitate the redevelopment of the Lakshminarayan Temple was tabled before the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's improvements committee on Friday, drawing strong opposition from rival political parties.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proposed removing the reservation from the plot in the K-West ward and incorporating the land into the adjoining residential zone. The move requires a modification to Mumbai's Development Plan 2034 under Section 37 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966.

The proposal stems from a request by the temple trust, Shrimad Bharat Mandali, alongside a recommendation from MLA Ameet Satam. The trust sought the deletion to reconstruct the existing ground-floor temple, which it stated is in a dilapidated condition, and to create additional space for social and religious activities to cater to an increasing number of devotees. The trust was registered in 1961 under the Societies Registration Act and the Bombay Public Trusts Act.

According to civic records, the plot, bearing C.S. No. 34 (Part) in Ambivali village, spans a total area of 2,278.90 square metres under the ROS 1.5 reservation. Roughly 1,840 square metres of the site is currently occupied by the temple.

The land has been subject to various public-purpose designations over several decades. Under the 1967 Development Plan, it was reserved for a playground. It was marked as a Recreation Ground in the 1991 plan, and during a 2012 survey, it was shown partly under Social Amenity and partly as a Slum Cluster. In the Development Plan 2034, it received the Garden and Park reservation and is also affected by a Development Plan road.

Opposition corporators questioned the conversion into residential zoning. Congress group leader in the BMC, Ashraf Azmi, argued against converting garden space into a residential zone that opens up real estate potential. Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Vishaka Raut expressed frustration over frequent reservation deletions, stating that public consultation during the development plan drafting was being undermined.

Although the proposal was not taken up for discussion on Friday, it is scheduled to be re-tabled at the next meeting. If cleared, the BMC will invite public suggestions and objections before sending the file to the Maharashtra government's Urban Development Department for final sanction under Section 37(2) of the MRTP Act.