BMC Approves 30-Year Lease of 6.17-Acre Century Mill Land in Lower Parel to Peddar Realty

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) civic improvements committee on Friday approved a proposal to lease a 6.17-acre parcel of Century Mill land located in Lower Parel to Peddar Realty Ltd for an initial period of 30 years, with an option to extend the lease for another 30 years.

The clearance of the proposal triggered strong opposition from corporators representing the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress party, who contended that the civic administration was accepting an unfavourable deal on land that had been reclaimed only after prolonged legal litigation. The opposition members argued that rather than leasing the valuable land parcel to a private realty firm, the BMC should have utilized the plot to develop a public amenity for the city.

Sena (UBT) corporator Vishakha Raut voiced objections regarding the rehabilitation component of the project, stating that the BMC should have at least ensured that the families of mill workers received larger homes under the terms of the proposal.

Questioning the transparency of the transaction, Sena (UBT) corporator Sachin Padwal asked why the BMC had not made greater efforts to attract a larger pool of bidders. He further questioned whether the terms and conditions of the tender had been deliberately altered to favour a particular developer.

The debate ended in open protest after the proposal was formally cleared by the committee. Following the approval, Padwal and fellow corporator Vitthal Lokre registered their dissent by tearing up copies of the proposal document.

In response to the concerns raised by opposition members, improvements committee chairperson Sandhya Doshi addressed the issue of mill workers' housing. She stated that efforts would be made to ensure that the families of mill workers, who are Marathi people, are provided homes at the exact same location.