Are Mumbai’s parks accessible to people for leisure activities?

In a city like Mumbai that is starved of open spaces public parks give succour to people who want to relax However people deplore the undue restrictions in the parks that virtually makes it impossible to have a picnic in Mumbai ldquoMost parks dont allow walking on grass and restrict foodrdquo says Anca Florescu Abraham a local resident ldquoThe list of donrsquots is neverendingrdquoAlthough this summer the mercurial heat has mostly prevented people from enjoying the season to the fullest but even if they wanted to the rules at parks in the city stop them Abraham who has called Mumbai her home for 18 years laments that it is very difficult not only for people to have a picnic at the open spaces but also to simply spend time without facing challengesTalking to middayonlinecom from Copenhagen Abraham gives a context To picnic is normal People meet friends gossip and drink It is normal What is expected of the local administration is to create more open spaces Speaking about Copehhagen where she is holidaying Abraham says the revamping of existing open spaces there is very transparent every project is announced the planning is open for everyone to see She cites the example to highlight how locals in Mumbai had no clue that there was a plan to construct underground parking in Patwardhan Park ldquoIn a city with skyrocketing pollution levels and density we cant afford to lose one more inch of open spacerdquo she addsInterestingly Mumbai does boast of quite a few popular parks in different regions While some are wellmaintained others are neglected Then there are others like Pushpa Narsee Park being taken over by the civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to build ldquounnecessaryrdquo parking lots others are simply catering to the need of real estate in the maximum citySo how difficult is it to picnic or indulge in leisurely activities in these parks With summer probably being the best time to spend under the shade the challenges in accessibility often deter most people from even entering the parksPeople this writer spoke to listed several reasons from entering the parks included overcrowding and nonmaintenance People do not go to parks just for picnics Many people go to parks to jog for example However it isnt always possible In case of unfamiliar fitness activities like slack lining or more public and private authorities have a puzzled look that often leads to them stopping the activity ldquoNo games no cycling no balls Except for breathing and walking that too in the same direction as stipulated on the signage everything is bannedrdquo adds an exasperated Abraham who is the cofounder of Love Your Parks Mumbai and Bombay GreenwayChallenges and restrictionsFor example Abraham says since the Pushpa Narsee Park in Juhu was taken over by BMC there has been double fold regression no walking on grass hence implicitly no picnic no games no farmers market and the timings have reduced The park she says was one of the ldquoforwardthinkingrdquo places in the city with cycle tracks picnics games and balls being allowed They even hosted a weekly farmers market What is very worrying is that there are plans of turning the park into an underground parking space ldquoLuckily local citizens and architects protected this park Patwardhan Park is still under threatrdquo shares the 41yearoldAbraham started ldquoLove Your Parks Mumbairdquo back in 2018 with cofounder Tina Nandi It was due to their frustration with local public parks that not only had restrictions and inconvenient timings but also had badly maintained infrastructure Being at the forefront of raising awareness about the need for parks and using them sufficiently in the city Abraham says people can spend time at all the parks in the city However there are certain factors that contribute to them not being able to do it properly ldquoThe reduced timings and the fact that the timings are not very people and petfriendly is deterring people from using local parks as much as they would like to We often receive shocking messages of parks being kept closed although all BMC parks should be open from 6 am to 10 pmrdquo she explains This is apart from the fact that the lack of public facilities like restrooms or easily available drinking water in most parks makes it difficult to hang around for a longer time she saysSantacruzbased Kate C echoes Abraham sentiments ldquoNo Mumbaikars cannot have picnics in parks The rules in many parks in the western suburbs forbid it Pushpa Narsee Park used to allow it before the management was taken over by BMC she reiteratesOver the years the citybased executive producer has been frequenting many parks in the city like Joggers Park Patwardhan Park and Pushpa Narsee Park before the new rules were implemented In fact she says Bajaj Park also has rules like no walking on the grass which she calls ldquoridiculousrdquo DMonte Park is the only park that I know of that allows balls she shares Drawing a direct comparison with France her home country the 39yearold says there are some major differences in the way parks are treated in Mumbai ldquoThere are restrictions on activities and movements here unsafe and unkempt play areas for children littering due to insufficient bins and too much concreterdquo she explainsBad maintenance and solutionsThe maintenance of the parks is also the reason why Andheri resident Rebecca Fernandes believes many people dont visit them Fernandes who is a mother of two says ldquoI believe parks and gardens in Mumbai are underused I would like to take my children who are aged 4 and 6 to the local park but it is not wellmaintained The swings are missing and so are other childrens activities My children only utilise the slides at the parksrdquoFernandes who has called Mumbai her home for a long time says that even though there is a municipal park about 400 metres away it is always crowded and that is a deterrent for her ldquoThe parks can be better utilised by maintaining them In the park that we visit there is no sand in the childrens play area hence when the children fall they get scraped and hurt easily she shares While she speaks about the suburbs the Andheri resident believes parks in South Mumbai are better maintainedUnlike others Bandrabased CrossFit coach Aditya Ankam who uses city parks to conduct his sessions has had a better experience However he believes a lot more needs to be done especially when it comes to accessibility for different activities Authorities can work towards enhancing the infrastructure and facilities available in these spaces This could include improving maintenance providing designated areas for specific activities ensuring cleanliness and implementing safety measuresThis observation comes from him having conducted sessions in Mumbai parks for over five years When I conducted crossfit training in parks and gardens I didnt face any significant challenges from authorities or otherwise There were instances where Ankam had to ensure that he followed relevant regulations or obtained necessary permissions to conduct organised workouts in public spacesHowever he doesnt limit it to the general duties but also to them raising awareness about the importance of outdoor activities and promoting the utilisation of these spaces The fact that many people ndash this writer spoke to about their use of parks in the city ndash said it is nonexistent It proves the lack of enough awareness or information It encourages more people to engage in healthy and recreational pursuits shares Ankam who embraces outdoor workouts as part of his fitness routineTraining crossfit in parks and gardens Ankam says takes his workouts to another level away from the artificiality of airconditioned gyms Instead of relying on machines I embrace barbells kettlebells dumbbells and rowingair bikes in a natural environment Its green exercise at its finest connecting me directly with sunlight The climates impact adds a new dimension challenging my body in ways that indoor workouts cant replicate Thats why I choose to train outdoors where nature fuels my fitness journey explains Ankam who previously frequented Priyadarshini Park but has been making use of parks on Carter Road and Aeroplane Garden more recently I appreciate the variety they provide in terms of terrain and workout possibilities These locations have become my goto spots and I still frequent them regularly to enjoy the benefits of training says the 28yearold associated with a Juhubased fitness studioIt is for people like Ankam and other Mumbaikars who love parks so much that Kate believes more needs to be done She says There need to be more trees for shade and nature More soil to walk on More bins And importantly allowing people to exercise as they want The fact that most of the population of this city is pedestrian and live in small spaces she says shows the city is built for the wealthy minority with cars ldquoCitizens deserve green public spaces European cities have better public parks and pedestrian spaces because they were built at a time when even the wealthy walkedrdquo she concludesAlso Read High salt intake can cause cognitive disorders high blood pressure Study