BMC Proposes Rs 5.10-Crore Revamp for Bandra's Patwardhan Park
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proposed a Rs 5.10-crore facelift for Raosaheb Patwardhan Garden on Road No. 32 in Bandra. The proposal comes nearly two years after the civic body shelved a controversial underground parking project at the site following fierce opposition from local residents.
The proposed 11-month revamp includes constructing a new entrance, carrying out repairs to the security room, protective walls, toilets, pathways, and steps, as well as demolishing a dilapidated RCC bridge inside the premises. The comprehensive makeover also covers the installation of new children's play equipment, outdoor gym apparatus, seating arrangements, cobbled pathways, information boards, electrical infrastructure, and landscaping.
Notably, the current beautification plan excludes the specific cement-concrete plot of land that the civic body had originally earmarked for excavation to build the underground parking facility.
A total of eight firms submitted bids for the project. M/s H & H Associates emerged as the lowest bidder after quoting 34 percent below the BMC's estimated cost. The civic administration has proposed awarding the contract to the firm, and the proposal has been placed before the BMC Standing Committee for final approval.
Swapna Mhatre, BJP corporator from Bandra, explained that routine maintenance had stalled for several years due to uncertainty over whether the underground parking project would move forward. As a result, several parts of the park deteriorated and now urgently require repairs, though the cement-concrete section remains excluded from the ongoing plan.
An official from the H-West ward similarly stated that the park had remained without repairs for an extended period, making the proposed overhaul necessary. However, activist Zoru Bhathena criticised the civic body's approach, stating that had the park received regular maintenance, the BMC would not have needed to spend crores on beautification now.
The citizen battle over Patwardhan Park had dragged on for more than a year before the parking project was finally shelved, unlike a similar underground parking plan at Pushpa Narsee Park in Juhu, which was scrapped shortly after protests emerged.
