India, Sept. 16 -- BJP president from Mumbai and Andheri West MLA Ameet Satam on Sunday made a strong appeal to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to immediately suspend its interim policy that allows private entities to take over the maintenance of the city's open spaces. He stressed that the practice should be stopped until a comprehensive and citizen-friendly framework is put in place.

In a letter to Bhushan Gagrani, civic chief and administrator, Satam urged the BMC not to allocate any new open spaces under this policy and instead take full responsibility for their upkeep. Pointing to growing public concern, he warned that several open areas are being misused by vested interests. "Some open spaces are permanently converted ...