In the 1970’s, when the Government of Maharashtra wanted to reclaim the land from Raj Bhavan to Haji Ali and construct skyscrapers making the area into a concrete jungle, that Shri B A Desai, along with some prominent citizens of Mumbai like Shri Rajni Patel, Shri B K Karanjia, Mr Murli Deora, Mr R H Dastoor, Mr Ajit Malkani formed "Save Breach Candy Committee" and under its auspices of led protest marches and also held a cricket match to stop the land reclamation. It was this movement that led to the birth of the Malabar Citizens’ Forum.

The Malabar Hill Citizens’ Forum is a registered Charitable Trust established under the leadership of Shri B A Desai. It is this Trust that has developed reclaimed barren land as “Priyadarshini Park Sports Complex” and has been maintaining it. The Park has been developed in consonance with the Philosophy of the Park and the active co-operation of Central Government, State Government, Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation and the Corporate Bodies. In fact, this park is an ideal example of the work done with the co-operation of NGO, Local Self Government, State  and Central Government and the Corporate Bodies.