MUMBAI, Dec. 16 -- The city's Mahalaxmi Racecourse will be rebranded as "Central Park" as part of a mega-makeover that will transform this colonial-era institution into a 295-acre open space that will also include entertainment facilities and an underground sports complex. Unveiling plans to create the "biggest central park in the history of an Indian city to date", deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde said 125 acres will be carved out of the racecourse, while the remaining 170 acres will be drawn from land reclaimed for the Coastal Road. The park will be connected via an underpass to the arterial Annie Besant Road at Haji Ali, Shinde said, underlining that the racing track and its stables at the racecourse will remain untouched. The audacious plan to transform the Mahalaxmi Racecourse was reported by Hindustan Times on August 7, when architect Hafeez Contractor submitted a blueprint to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The civic body owns the 211-acre racecourse, which it has leased to the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC). As reported by HT in August, the plan is a game-changer for Mumbai. Apart from large green spaces aboveground, it includes a world-class underground sports complex at par with Olympic standards. Further below, a three-level parking facility with space for 5,000 cars is also planned. The underground sports complex, spread across 10 lakh square feet, will have an array of facilities. It will include 11 volleyball courts, four for basketball, four for handball, 14 nets for cricket, two gymnastics courts, six kho-kho courts, 14 badminton courts, 18 squash courts, two skating rinks, a velodrome, among other facilities, according to the master plan with HT. Shinde, who holds the state urban development portfolio, said, "There will not be any construction on the racecourse, as claimed by some people. It will be a completely eco-friendly project and will be an oxygen park for Mumbaikars." The proposed Central Park will house a world-class convention centre, which will be developed on a 9-acre plot. It will have three halls, each spread across 7,440 square metres. The convention centre will have a pre-function area, spread on 50,000 square feet, among other facilities. The park will house a topiary garden on 70 acres. It will also house a stage, an amphitheatre with a capacity for 900 people, and an events lawn. There will be several kinds of gardens, including a perennial garden, an annual garden, a monsoon garden, a seasonal garden, an aquatic garden, a succulent garden, an organic farming garden, and a maze, according to the master plan. Another feature of the Central Park is a botanical garden on 31 acres. This will comprise medicinal trees and herbs, a giant water-lily pond, a palm garden, a hillock, an arboretum, a children's park, food kiosks, etc. Central Park will also have an urban forest or city forest proposed on 12 acres. It will have an entrance for the racecourse, and will link up with the topiary garden through the underpass, according to the master plan. "The Metro 3 station at the Nehru Centre will be connected with Mahalaxmi through an underground passage. This will provide easy access to thousands of people, who want to visit Central Park," said municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani. "The same underpass will link Annie Besant Road to Haji Ali via Cross Road. This will connect the coastal park to Central Park as well as the sports complex."...