Nagpur: Residents and activists are set to start a series of campaign to protect the
Gandhibagh garden from commercialization.
Central Nagpur residents have also formed a steering committee — Gandhibagh Bagicha Bachav Sangarsh Samiti — to oppose the Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) move to spare the area for Sokta citizen facilitation centre cum shopping complex inside Gandhibagh Garden.
According to residents, the new project requires 68,358 sq ft area but existing area of the bhavan is only 10,000 sq ft. “If the commercial complex comes up, the existing space of Gandhibagh garden, which is spread over 5.5 acre land, will shrink by 1.6 acre,” said residents.
According to the residents, NMC had received the notification issued by the state’s urban development department (UDD) for the project in 2017. The 68,358 sq ft (6,353 sq m) area is already notified for the project.
The government had notified 10,000 sq ft for the construction of Sokta Bhavan on South-West corner of Gandhibagh garden in November 2003. The bhavan housed a library and NMC’s Gandhibagh Zone office till a couple of years ago. The bhavan is lying abandoned since both were shifted to other locations.
Since, then NMC had planned to construct a multi-storey citizen facilitation centre cum shopping complex after demolishing the existing structure of Sokta Bhavan. Residents of the locality also opposed the move of the NMC that had allegedly changed the user of the place from community to commercial.
The UDD has notified the entire area required for the project as citizen facilitation centre cum shopping complex, covering existing structure of bhavan and vacant land on South-West and North side corners of the bhavan.
According to residents, as the city’s fire and emergency services refused to issue no-objection certificates, a special NOC from the directorate of fire services in Mumbai has been obtained for the project.
However, a senior official from the NMC’s garden department ruled out of losing any park’s space for the commercial purpose. He said no proposal has come forth for procurement of the garden’s area.
Actually it is the only open space in the central Nagpur and so we plan to organize protests and create awareness regarding the issue, said residents.
The campaign will include distribution of pamphlets, signature campaign, Swachhata Abhiyan inside the garden, formation of human chain etc.
“Our forefathers when they planned the area, first planned the garden and then the buildings. As many as 10,000 people visit the garden daily to play sports, walk and do yoga etc,” said former corporator Raman Paigwar, who is also member of the Sangarsh Samiti. “Since open spaces are shrinking in the city, we are opposing the NMC’s move,” he said.
