It's official, Mumbaikars can now start and end their day at their neighbourhood garden. On Friday, BMC chief Ajoy Mehta finally issued the official order to the Garden Department to keep gardens open for at least 12 hours a day. This comes after mid-day's Garden Safety Audit Round Table, a sustained campaign to increase access to the city's open spaces and improve their upkeep.

This paper, through the Garden Safety Audit Round Table, has constantly been reporting about citizens' demand for longer access to better parks. mid-day had first reported on July 26 that the civic body was considering keeping gardens open for 12 hours. This decision was finalised in September, and Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta has now issued the official opening hours — 6 am to 12 pm in the day, and 3 pm to 9 pm in the evenings.

So far, the city's parks barely stay open for seven to eight hours, and close early evening. Most parks have opening hours from 6-9 in the morning, and 4-7 in the evening. This makes it difficult for lakhs of working Mumbaikars to access them.