Mumbai: Bandra residents are irked with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as it has recycled its 2017 policy for the Mount Mary Fair to be held in September. This policy does not include their suggestions. The Mount Mary fair will be held from September 9 to September 16. The BMC has published last year’s policy, with 60-odd points regulating stalls, street cooking, fire safety, traffic safety, BEST bus routes, health and cleanliness, and hawkers in the area for the Bandra fair.
Defending the move, civic officials said it was done on purpose. “We have published last year’s policy, so citizens could give suggestions and objections, according to the directives of the court in 2015. Once they send their suggestions, these will be added to the policy,” said Sharad Ughade, assistant commissioner of H-West ward.
A senior official of the fire brigade said, “The rules for fire safety will change once the ward sends blueprints marking stalls near the church to us. The 23-pointer codified fire safety requirement published by BMC for Ganpati and Navratri pandals will apply to the stalls too, although with some riders.”
Lillian Pais, a resident of the area, who filed a writ petition in 2014 regarding the rules at Mount Mary fair, said the civic body did not consider the views they gave in a review meeting in the ward office in June.
“The points I raised were regarding relocating of the police chowky, which occupies half the road, water taps at the junction of St John The Baptist Road, making it a one-way street with dedicated access for emergency vehicles and residents, making fire hydrants accessible, and relocating the garbage collection point from the nearby playground,” Pais said.
A review meeting with the residents will be held at the end of this week to finalise the policy, Ughade said.