Mumbai: The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) has defended its controversial proposal to change the land-use reservation of the Neville D’Souza Football Ground at Bandra Reclamation from a playground to an exhibition centre, saying it requires a sustainable revenue source.Footballers, coaches and sports enthusiasts have protested against the proposal to convert the Neville D’Souza Football Ground into a convention centre. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)The authority clarified that using the 8,450 sq m site as a playground was only a temporary arrangement and that the income generated from the proposed convention centre would be channelled into affordable housing projects.“The revenue generated from the convention centre will be utilised for housing projects. We are yet to work out the exact projections,” Milind Borikar, chief officer of Mhada’s Mumbai board, told HT.The clarification comes amid mounting opposition to the proposal, which was approved by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) improvements committee last month as part of an amendment to Mumbai’s Development Plan (DP) 2034. The amendment deletes the site’s reservation as a “playground/sports ground” and redesignates it as an “exhibition centre”, subject to further approvals.The move sparked protests by footballers, coaches and sports enthusiasts, who argued that Mumbai cannot afford to lose one of its few dedicated football grounds. Named after former India captain Neville D’Souza, the venue hosts local football tournaments and has produced several national and Olympic-level players.However, Borikar defended the proposal on Monday, saying the plot was originally reserved for a convention centre under the Bandra Reclamation layout approved in 1983.“At that time, Mhada had no plans to construct a convention complex, so the land was temporarily given to the football federation for use as a playground. Now, Mhada has sufficient funds and needs a steady income source. We are planning to construct a convention centre and, therefore, requested the BMC to restore the original reservation, as only the civic body can change the land use,” he said.Borikar also claimed that demand for convention centres in Mumbai has increased and that the Bandra Reclamation plot offers Mhada an opportunity to create a permanent revenue stream.He added that while the BMC’s improvements committee had approved the proposal, Mhada was yet to receive the official resolution. The proposal would now be considered by the BMC’s general body, before the urban development department takes a final decision.The BMC’s development planning department has supported the proposal, noting that a 2.58-hectare plot adjoining the Bombay Art Society had been earmarked for a convention complex under the original 1983 Bandra Reclamation layout. However, during the preparation of DP 2034, the land was shown as a sports ground because it was functioning as a football field.The civic administration has also concluded that the proposal is justified as there is no convention centre facility in the surrounding area. Since DP 2034 does not have a separate reservation category for a “convention centre”, the land has been proposed for redesignation as an “exhibition centre”.Under the proposal approved by the improvements committee, the reservation of 6,897.4 sq m of sports ground amenity and 1,552.6 sq m of playground reservation, totalling 8,450 sq m, will be removed and redesignated as an exhibition centre, subject to further approvals.