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BMC Panel Approves Redesignation of Bandra Reclamation Football Ground as Exhibition Centre

Restoring a 1983 convention reservation begins statutory public hearings under the MRTP Act, which opponents say risks losing one of Mumbai’s few dedicated football grounds.

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Overview

  • The BMC Improvements Committee approved the proposal this week to change the Neville D’Souza ground’s reservation from 'Sports Ground and Playground' to 'Exhibition/Convention Centre', reviving a plan first shown in 1983.
  • The redesignation was made at MHADA’s request after the authority asked in November 2025 that the earlier convention-complex reservation be restored for the 8,450 sq m plot.
  • The site houses the Neville D’Souza Football Ground, inaugurated in 2018, leased to the Mumbai District Football Association and used for local league and exhibition matches.
  • The change must be processed under Section 37(1) of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, requiring public notices, suggestions and objections, formal hearings and final approval by the State Urban Development Department.
  • An online petition and local politicians and activists have mobilised against the plan, saying it would reduce scarce open play space, worsen local traffic and set a precedent for converting public grounds into built facilities.