MUMBAI RACE COURSE GREEN ZONE LAND SCAM

Date: 31st May 2004

To,

1. Honorable Shri. Shushil Kumar Shinde, Chief Minister Government of Maharashtra,

2. Shri. Johny Joseph, The Commissioner, Muncipal Corporation Greater Mumbai (MCGM),

PROTEST AGAINST TURF CLUB PROPOSAL TO COMMERCIALISE GREEN ZONE LAND OWNED BY BOMBAY MUNICIPAL CORPORATION AT MAHALAKSHMI RACE COURSE

Dear Sirs,

1. We, the undersigned citizens of Mumbai, petition the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) not to allow the OPEN and GREEN LUNG spaces of Mumbai to fall into the hands of unscrupulous developers and commercial vested interests.

2. The Mahalaxmi Racecourse is one of the largest & biggest open green lung areas of Mumbai which is spread over 226 Acres. This plot of land is owned by the MCGM (BMC) & is under the control the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) for Horse Racing. As the present position stands it has to be kept open for public use at all times of the year except when the races are run. The structures on this land have been there since several years. This plot of open land is also notified as a green zone under the Development Plan.

Please visit http://www.geocities.com/mumbaicitizensgroup/ to view PLAN of the area.

3. The Race Course buildings and precincts are covered by Heritage Regulations and specially listed as conservation area being colonial style structures and green belt, dating back to 1880s. These comprise structures of local importance possessing special architectural/aesthetical merit, cultural and historical value. They are local landmarks contributing to the image and identity of the City. Additional buildings in the same plot are not permitted as planned by RWITC as such an extension must be in harmony with the existing precincts. The existing structures represent a unique period of history and design. They represent a group of buildings of a distinct architectural design, style and historic period and way of life having sociological interest and community value. The buildings represent vistas of natural interest and open spaces integrally planned with their associated areas as having a distinctive way of life.

4. As the citizens of Mumbai, we earnestly plead to you not to allow any sort of further development or construction so as to protect all environmental issues, which can affect us now and for future generations. Under the guise of many devious loopholes this concretization sprawls are devouring open spaces to which unfortunately the Government as well as other responsible officials are turning a blind eye for reasons best known to them. It is our right to protect all natural resources, our heritage and our future. It is our right and duty to expose illegalities of any kind to the authorities concerned and the public at large. It is a fact that we are struggling very hard to protect our environmentally sensitive areas from greedy developers who to fulfill their financial vested interests are destroying all such beautiful open green spaces which are the only lungs left in a concretized city like Mumbai. If any development is allowed to go on it shall have a cumulative impact on all environmental sensitive areas and it is unfortunate that the pertaining officials do not acknowledge the importance of protecting natural open public lands.

5. The Royal Western India Turf Club is already in the doldrums and in a state of turmoil due to their escalating losses year after year. It is in the control of a few influential people who have now devised a clever scheming camouflaged plan to convert this prime property & develop it through unscrupulous and greedy developers. Both the RWITC & the developer seem to have already gone into an agreement of developing this public land at the price of Rupees One Hundred and Thirty Five Crores. This is supposedly the official figure shown but the reality is that in the open market this property is worth thousands of crores. Both the RWITC & the developer are working hand in glove and are pretty sure of procuring the necessary permissions to develop this open public land through a scheming operation with the connivance of some officials in the Government of Maharashtra & the MCGM including converting this open space into a Tourism Development Zone to Commercially exploit it to the fullest mutually benefiting themselves at the cost of Mumbaites.

7. We the citizens of Mumbai humbly request you to please save this open lung space of Mumbai for the free use of the public at all times and not allow greedy commercial developers who have an ulterior motive of earning crores of rupees from public land which they are encroaching on and usurping open green zone properties and converting it into concrete commercially developed properties on public land which does not belong to them but rightfully belongs to us for our free use at all times, all the year round & for ever.