Mumbai: A day before a key meeting of the BMC’s improvement committee, opposition parties on Tuesday intensified attacks on a series of civic proposals ranging from privatisation of blood banks and changes to recreation ground reservations to the proposed handover of the stalled Seven Hills Hospital project in Marol to a private operator.Among the proposals is a change in reservation of the Bandra Recreation Ground from a recreational space to an exhibition and convention centre. The committee will also consider converting two plots in Malabar Hill’s D ward currently reserved as recreation grounds for residential use. Another key agenda item is the proposal for revised private operator involvement under a public-private partnership model for the 1,500-bed super-speciality SevenHills Hospital in Marol, a move that has already triggered opposition from some political leaders who have demanded that the civic body retain full control of the hospital.Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray accused the civic body of attempting to “sell Mumbai’s blood and open spaces”, while Congress MLA Amin Patel strongly opposed the move to revive the SevenHills Hospital project through a public-private partnership (PPP) model.In a post on X, Thackeray alleged that the improvement committee, chaired by a member of the ruling Shiv Sena faction led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, was set to clear several “contentious” proposals at Wednesday’s meeting. He also questioned whether the BJP would support the moves.Among the proposals flagged by Thackeray was the alleged privatisation of BMC-run blood banks. He claimed that while civic blood banks have traditionally been publicly managed and offered services free of cost, the proposal would allow NGOs to operate them and charge up to Rs 1,100. “Why should this commercialisation of Mumbai’s blood be allowed?” Thackeray said.The former minister also opposed a proposal to change the reservation of a recreation ground in Bandra West, currently used by footballers, into an exhibition and convention centre. He argued that the move would worsen congestion in the suburb, which is already grappling with infrastructure works, dug-up roads and redevelopment projects. “How will Bandra be liveable?” he asked, while also alleging that another MHADA plot in the area had been taken over by an NGO operating a football ground and charging users heavily.Thackeray further alleged that two plots in D Ward at Malabar Hill were proposed to be converted from recreation grounds into residential plots. He claimed the move was aimed at facilitating the expansion of a private bungalow by taking over an adjoining open space.“We will not let any of this work begin on ground and expose each of them with details if these grounds are not protected,” he warned, appealing to all parties represented in the committee to oppose the proposals.Meanwhile, opposition to the proposed handover of Marol’s SevenHills Hospital to a private entity also gathered momentum ahead of the meeting.In a letter addressed to municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide on May 25, Patel urged the civic body to bring the 1,500-bed super-speciality hospital fully under municipal ownership and management instead of proceeding with a revised PPP framework.Calling the proposal a “surrender of a critical public asset”, Patel said the earlier partnership model had failed, leading to financial distress, insolvency proceedings, litigation and eventual collapse of operations.“In 2006, when the hospital was first handed over to a private entity, I was a member of the civic improvements committee as a corporator and had strongly opposed the move then as well,” Patel said.“The project had to be taken over by the BMC during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the civic body successfully ran the hospital under the Disaster Management Act. This experience clearly shows that the corporation has both the administrative capability and healthcare expertise to independently operate a large tertiary care hospital,” he added.Congress party leader Ashraf Azmi also said Mumbai required stronger public healthcare institutions rather than “further privatisation of essential services”, and urged the administration to reconsider the proposal and formulate a roadmap for fully operating SevenHills Hospital under the BMC.
