MUMBAI: A day after Mumbai Architects Collective wrote to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani against the proposed redevelopment of Mahalaxmi Racecourse, former cabinet minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray took to social media to support them.However, Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora said he was disappointed to see Thackeray encouraging opposition to the proposed Mumbai Central Park project.In a post on X, Thackeray said, “I am glad that some of our city’s finest, most passionate and pro-Mumbai architects also spoke up against the proposed concretisation of the Mahalaxmi Racecourse by Fakenath Mindhe. The racecourse is already open to all; thousands of Mumbaikars visit it every day. Yes, the @rwitcmumbai can definitely indulge in better landscaping and rainwater management, but we don’t need any underground facility or car park there, and neither do we need any clubhouse there.Deora said Mumbai suffered for 25 years because Sena (UBT) did not have the political will or intention to transform the city. “I am deeply disappointed to see Aaditya Thackeray encouraging opposition to…a project that represents one of the most significant enhancements to public open space in our city’s history,” he posted on X. “Mumbai is set to create India’s largest urban green zone by merging 125 acres of parkland with 175 acres of reclaimed Coastal Road land, forming a 300-acre green lung for the city. The surface will remain entirely green, featuring a botanical garden, topiary garden, and a dense city forest…a 10 lakh square feet, environment-friendly underground sports complex is proposed to be developed beneath the park… This project reflects forwardthinking leadership and a commitment to balancing infrastructure growth with environmental sustainability.”
