Mumbai’s Five Gardens to Enhance Accessibility for People with Disabilities | Mumbai News

Mumbai: The BMC and an NGO, Access to Hope, have joined hands in a bid to create accessible public infrastructure in and around Matunga’s Five Gardens. The NGO is led by accessibility activist Jasmina Khanna, who lives with cerebral palsy. She said, “We were appointed for designing and supervising the footpath work of one of the gardens in coordination with BMC and local residents. We are also proposing to make one of the public toilets in a manner that Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) can use it.” The letter of appointment of the NGO was addressed to Sanket Khadilkar, who is the managing trustee of the NGO.
However, local residents are concerned that the initiative might lead to unwanted alterations to the gardens. Darayus Bacha, a member of the Mancherji Edalji Joshi Colony Residents Association (MEJCRA), said, “They can do up the existing toilet, making it specially abled friendly. They can have indented ramps on every garden entrance except the centre one, but they should keep the 100-year-old basalt stone footpaths as they are around the gardens and no more concrete should be put inside the gardens for any reason whatsoever.”
Meher Engineer, another member, said that they want Five Gardens to remain as it is, with five green and open spaces and no new additions.
The BMC has refuted these claims, stating that they have no intention of modifying the gardens’ core elements. “Instead, our focus is on enhancing accessibility and adding basic amenities, such as benches, specialised gym and sports equipment, and play structures for individuals with disabilities,” said Prithviraj Chavan, assistant municipal commissioner of F North ward.
Mumbai: The BMC and an NGO, Access to Hope, have joined hands in a bid to create accessible public infrastructure in and around Matunga’s Five Gardens. The NGO is led by accessibility activist Jasmina Khanna, who lives with cerebral palsy. She said, “We were appointed for designing and supervising the footpath work of one of the gardens in coordination with BMC and local residents. We are also proposing to make one of the public toilets in a manner that Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) can use it.” The letter of appointment of the NGO was addressed to Sanket Khadilkar, who is the managing trustee of the NGO.
However, local residents are concerned that the initiative might lead to unwanted alterations to the gardens. Darayus Bacha, a member of the Mancherji Edalji Joshi Colony Residents Association (MEJCRA), said, “They can do up the existing toilet, making it specially abled friendly. They can have indented ramps on every garden entrance except the centre one, but they should keep the 100-year-old basalt stone footpaths as they are around the gardens and no more concrete should be put inside the gardens for any reason whatsoever.”
Meher Engineer, another member, said that they want Five Gardens to remain as it is, with five green and open spaces and no new additions.
The BMC has refuted these claims, stating that they have no intention of modifying the gardens’ core elements. “Instead, our focus is on enhancing accessibility and adding basic amenities, such as benches, specialised gym and sports equipment, and play structures for individuals with disabilities,” said Prithviraj Chavan, assistant municipal commissioner of F North ward.