After being slammed by citizen groups over its plan to build a fire station inside Priyadarshini Park, BMC has floated the idea of turning it into Mumbai's first "green fire station"
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After being slammed by citizen groups over its plan to build a fire station inside Priyadarshini Park, BMC has floated the idea of turning it into Mumbai's first "green fire station", doing away with concrete and erecting the station with bamboo and plants.
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The Malabar Hill Citizens' Forum, which is looking after Priyadarshini Park, had opposed a fire station in the middle of the garden. mid-day had reported first about the tussle between BMC and citizens. The 65,000-sqm Park was handed over to the Forum for maintenance over 20 years ago.
Also read - Mumbai: Firemen deployed in Priyadarshini Park complain of ill-treatment
A civic official said, "Additional municipal commissioner IA Kundan has directed the fire brigade to make the station green by using plants and bamboo for construction."
Pointing out the need for a fire station in that area, the BMC has also released data of the last five years that shows 495 fires reported in high-rises on Napeansea Road and Warden Road.
Also read: South Mumbai residents fume over fire engine parked at Priyadarshini Park
However, activist Susieben Shah of the Forum said, "No one is against the fire station. The question is where should it come up. There is a plot adjoining the Park, which was given to MSRDC. Civic officials themselves had given an affidavit in court, stating work on the fire station was stuck because MSRDC was not vacating the plot. Now, it's empty, and yet, it is constructing the station in the middle of the Park."
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