by THO
Mumbai: A proposal to allot 140 acres of land at Madh to resettle Dharavi residents as part of the Dharavi redevelopment project was cleared by the state cabinet on Thursday. The land will be used to build affordable, rental housing for Dharavi residents ineligible for free housing under the redevelopment scheme. Hindustan Times had reported on the plan in its edition on October 6.
An additional 55 acres, a part of the same land parcel, will also be allotted to the Aditya Birla group for a hospital, a housing society for MLAs, the Swami Narayan Trust and a private music academy. The MLAs had been granted plots in Versova but they could not develop them due to restrictions imposed by the Coastal Regulation Zone notification.
The rental housing scheme for Dharavi residents has already been allotted 255 acres of salt pan land at Kanjurmarg and Mulund, and 21.25 acres in the Kurla dairy. The state has turned down the proposal for Dharavi rental housing at the erstwhile octroi check posts at Mulund and Dahisar, but may allot the now-defunct Deonar dumping ground for the project.
Being a coastal area, most of Madh is a No-Development Zone (NDZ). There’s also an Air Force base here. However, early this year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) permitted regulated development, which included IT parks in this region. Now, with the Mumbai Coastal Road soon to reach Versova nearby, development is catching up with this quiet and green neighbourhood.
Reacting to the allotment on Thursday, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi took a dig at the ruling Mahayuti alliance. In a tweet on social media platform, X, she remarked, “The Mahajhoothi government’s shamelessness has no end. Ladka (Favourite) Industrialist gets another land parcel under the garb of ‘Dharavi Redevelopment’. Clearly this government was serving the interests of Modani more than the people of Maharashtra.”
Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad did not hold back the sarcasm either. In her tweet on X, Gaikwad said it was just another land parcel being gifted to the “Modani Vikas Project”! She added, “Is there no limit to their greed? The cabinet rushed through several decisions, just so that they can loot Mumbai some more before the code of conduct kicks in. And once again, they have zeroed in on yet another land parcel to be gifted to the Modani development project.”
Gaikwad’s tweet went on to say, “Apart from Madh Island, now they also have decided to give a land parcel in Borivali to the Dharavi redevelopment project. Just how much land do they need for this project? We have been saying right from the start, there are no ineligible residents, all residents of Dharavi are eligible. This entire charade of housing ineligible residents is just a sophisticated land grab exercise to benefit the Mitra (friend) of this government. Shame!”
Meanwhile, the state has also allotted 502 hectares of land in Dapchari village, in Dahanu, Palghar district, to the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). The land was to be earmarked for dairies that were to be shifted out of Aarey Colony but many dairies are unwilling to leave.
The MIDC was eyeing this land for development due to its proximity to the new Vadhavan Port in Palghar district, and the proposed port in Murbe, nearby. This will, however, lead to a colossal loss of green cover, prompting former secretary in the state Dairy Development Department, Tukaram Mundhe, to object to the transfer of this land.
