Bandra Residents Protest BMC’s Concrete Overhaul of Historic Fort Garden

Mumbai, India: A growing chorus of discontent is rising against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over its recent revamp of the 17th-century Bandra Fort garden. Local residents and environmental activists are up in arms against the excessive concretization and reduction of greenery in the historic site.

The BMC, which reopened the garden earlier this month after a two-year renovation, has faced criticism for its approach to the project. Residents allege that the new design has compromised the garden’s heritage character and created an unsustainable environment. The use of concrete surfaces has increased the temperature in the area, making the garden less welcoming to visitors. Citizens have raised concerns about the removal of the lotus pond, the replacement of the bushy patch near the amphitheater with a concrete structure, and the substitution of hedge plants with concrete-basalt walls. These changes, they argue, have significantly contributed to the heat island effect in the garden.

In a letter to the BMC Commissioner and H/West ward, over 80 residents outlined their observations and demands for the restoration of the garden’s heritage feel. They criticized the replacement of the lawn near the waterfront promenade with concrete tiles and the lack of shade on the promenade. “All of these changes greatly contribute to increasing the heat in the garden,” the letter stated. “This ‘re-development’ of our existing green spaces by needlessly uprooting and replacing plants, changing the flooring tiles, and concretizing large areas is absolutely unnecessary and a sheer waste and misuse of funds.”

The residents proposed alternative solutions to the concretization, such as increasing indigenous trees through the Miyawaki plantation technique to cool the area and using garden seats instead of concrete to reduce costs and align with Mumbai’s Climate Action Plan. They demanded the removal of the concretized surfaces and the restoration of the garden’s former glory with more greenery, bushes, shrubs, and shade-providing indigenous trees. Additionally, they called for public consultation before future projects and the reinstatement of the lotus pond and benches under shade-providing trees.

A resident leading the initiative expressed frustration with the BMC’s approach. “Reducing the greenery and increasing concrete has made the garden so hot that it feels like you need air conditioners,” they said. “Earlier, the same had happened with a few other gardens near Bandstand.” The controversy over the Bandra Fort garden highlights the growing tension between urban development and environmental preservation in Mumbai. As the city continues to expand, it is crucial to balance the need for infrastructure with the protection of its cultural heritage and natural resources.