Navi Mumbai: CIDCO issues notices to education institutions for installing turf on playground

Navi Mumbai: The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has issued notices to several educational institutions for allegedly misusing the playground given on lease for the development of sports culture. Many of them have been using the playground for commercial purposes by installing football turf and giving them on rent.

The social service department of CIDCO has asked to remove the turf and informed them. 

Educational institutions who were issued notices:

Sandesh Dongre, city president of Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena raised the issue before the social service department of CIDCO and also submitted a complaint last year. Based on the complaint, CIDCO carried out a ground inspection and found the violation by the lessee.

The education institutions that have been issued notices are Shikshan Prasarka Mandal, Nerul, The Bombay Salesian Society, Nerul, Aatpadi Education Society, Nerul, Ramrao Adik Rao Education Society, Belapur, Delhi Public school Society, Nerul, Terna Public Charitable Trust, Nerul and Navi Mumbai Mahila Utkarsh Mandal, Ghansoli.

CIDCO has provided the playground to private educational institutions on a lease agreement and the lessee or the educational institution cannot use the playground for commercial purposes. “The education institutions have to allow local residents to use the playgroundduring non-school hours and weekends,” said Dongre, adding that instead of allowing local children, they have installed football turf and are using them for commercial purposes. “They give the football turf on rent from Rs 700 to Rs 2000 per hour for a group to play,” said Dongre.

“We have warned the planning agency to ensure that local children are allowed in such places as per the agreement. If they fail to do so, we will protest,” said Dongre.

The planning agency has 15 days for educational institutions who have violated the agreement to remove the turf and inform the same to them. If they fail, the planning agency will issue a show cause notice to end the agreement.