Encroachmentstogo:green spaces under26flyovers soon

Agency mulling option of having gardens like ones in Lower Parel, Matunga

MUMBAI: Dusty parking lots, squatters and shanties under the city’s flyovers will soon make way for green spaces, as the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has planned beautification of open spaces below the Sion-panvel highway and 26 flyovers it maintains in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

The move is aimed at tackling illegal parking and preventing squatters from encroaching these spaces.

The body is also exploring the possibility of constructing gardens under these flyovers, said MSRDC officials.

MSRDC’S decision also comes in the wake of a February 2016 order by the Bombay high court (HC) directing the state government to stop parking of vehicles under flyovers.

“There is a lot of space available under these flyovers. Currently, there are illegal parking lots and they could pose a threat to the structure. There are also many encroachers in these spaces who build makeshift homes. They will now be removed gradually,” said an MSRDC official involved in the project.

The MSRDC will not spend on the project and intends to award the contracts in exchange for advertising rights on the flyover.

“We will soon invite requests for proposal for the beautification of these spaces. Those who get the rights to beautify the space will have to design, carry out landscaping, operate and maintain the space. They would maintain the open space in exchange for advertisement rights,” said AB Gaikwad, chief engineer, MSRDC.

Mumbai city, which has a dearth of open spaces and parks, would benefit from the project. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has also started working on beautifying spaces under the flyovers.

The city’s first such garden was developed under the ND Mehta flyover in Matunga two years ago.

Recently, a ‘garden-under-flyover’ project was completed on the Senapati Bapat Marg in Lower Parel. The space includes a garden, pay-and-use toilets, pedestrian pathways, and benches. MSRDC maintains 26 flyovers, which include the ones on the Western Express Highway and the Eastern Express Highway and seven in Navi Mumbai.

Officials said that initially a few spaces under the flyover will be selected and a proposal will be invited from private players.