Mumbai’s Shivaji Park residents demand removal of polluting red soil, cite health concerns

Mumbai: The residents of the Shivaji Park area in Dadar wrote to the BMC last week, questioning why their long-standing demand to remove the external red soil from the maidan has been ignored.
They pointed out the recent case wherein the Breach Candy parking lot project was stalled after residents' protests, but their plea has gone unheard for many years. "We, the residents of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park, are writing with deep concern regarding the persistent pollution caused by the red soil dumped in our park. For so many years, residents living around the park have faced serious health hazards. We have been running from pillar to post for this serious concern our park has faced for years. Why is there a delay in removing the red soil that has been causing illnesses among residents? As taxpayers, why are Shivaji Park residents treated differently? The BMC must act to ensure a pollution-free environment for our neighbourhood," the letter stated.
Prakash Belwade, a resident, said that in one part of the city, the BMC agreed to stall the underground parking project along the Mumbai coastal road after the residents' protest. Then why is there a delay in removing the red soil from Shivaji Park? "Our complaint has been long pending. Authorities come and visit the place, but there is no action thereafter. BMC agreed to stop the project there as they probably feared inconvenience and widespread unrest among local residents, but here in our locality, our repeated pleas are going unheard," Belwade told TOI. A few days ago, a team from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) visited the grounds too.
The red soil the residents have been complaining about was put on the large open space as part of the BMC's Shivaji Park beautification work initiated in 2021. However, due to political disruptions with the change in govt, the project remained unfinished. The project had the backing of the earlier Thackeray govt.