3 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jun 29, 2026 09:58 PM IST
As protests intensify over the proposed change in reservation of the Neville D’Souza football ground in Bandra, civic records show the land’s reservation has been altered multiple times over the past decade before the latest amendment.
Last week, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Improvements Committee approved a proposal to delete the ground’s reservation as a playground and restore its original reservation for a convention centre.
While the move has drawn protests from residents, footballers and political leaders, members of the ruling BJP maintain that the latest amendment merely corrects what they describe as an earlier planning “mistake”. They, however, said the civic body could reconsider the decision in view of public opposition.
The Neville D’Souza ground, inaugurated in 2018, is among Mumbai’s few dedicated football venues. Located at Bandra Reclamation, the land is owned by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).
Civic records show the plot was originally reserved for a convention centre in the 1983 Development Plan. In 2015, the reservation was temporarily changed to public open space.
“The change in reservation was done to protect the land from illegal encroachments. After the reservation was amended, compound walls were erected around the plot as a preventive measure,” said BJP corporator Swapna Mhatre, a member of the BMC Improvements Committee.
The land was subsequently leased to the Mumbai Football Association (MFA) in 2016. When the Development Plan (DP) 2034 was finalised in 2018, the reservation was permanently changed to a playground. The proposal cleared by the Improvements Committee last week reverses that change, restoring the original reservation for a convention centre.
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“The earlier amendment was only a temporary measure, and giving the land permanent playground status in the DP was the BMC’s mistake. MHADA owns the land and can decide how it should be used. As the planning authority, the BMC only has the power to alter the reservation,” Mhatre said.
When contacted, a MHADA official said the land had only been leased to the MFA and ownership had never been transferred.
“The land was leased out to the MFA and was never handed over permanently. Even if the reservation had remained unchanged, MHADA had the authority to discontinue the lease,” the official said.
Football body to meet CM
On Sunday, hundreds of Bandra residents, along with former national footballers, gathered at the ground to protest the proposed change. Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad also met residents and wrote to BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, urging the civic administration to retain the playground reservation.
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MFA treasurer Udayan Banerjee said the association would seek an appointment with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to resolve the issue.
“For the past 10 years, we have used this ground for football coaching and tournaments. Protecting it is a social cause. We have requested a meeting with the Chief Minister. There are several land parcels in the BKC area that could be considered for a convention centre instead,” Banerjee said.
The proposal will now be placed before the BMC’s General Body for final approval. All 227 elected corporators, along with 10 nominated members, will vote on the proposal, which officials expect to be tabled during the first week of July.
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