BMC Clears 15-Acre Mulund Land Lease for Dharavi Redevelopment Project
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) improvements committee on Friday approved a proposal to lease 15 acres of land at the Mulund dumping ground to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project for five years. The decision by the BJP-Shiv Sena-led committee was passed despite strong opposition from Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress members.
The land is slated to host a casting yard, a precast element manufacturing facility, and a ready-mix concrete (RMC) plant. It will be leased to Adani Navbharat Developers Pvt Ltd, the special purpose vehicle carrying out the Dharavi Redevelopment Project in partnership with the state government.
While parts of the plot have been reclaimed, the 15-acre parcel still contains between 2.5 and 3 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste. The developer will carry out waste removal, site remediation, soil stabilisation, and levelling at an estimated cost of Rs 20.04 crore. This expense will be adjusted against the lease rental after verification by the chief engineer of the solid waste management department. Following the adjustment, the BMC will receive a net rental of Rs 83.44 crore, bringing the total payable amount, including 18% GST, to around Rs 100 crore.
Opposition leaders strongly criticised the move during the meeting. Former Mumbai Mayor Vishakha Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT) opposed the handover, arguing that the land could have been preserved for a larger public amenity. Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Sachin Padwal suggested that the RMC facility should be located in Dharavi itself, arguing that Mulund was too far and expressing concern over civic land being permanently lost. Padwal also claimed that 42 proposals for reservation changes had been brought forward in the past six months.
Congress corporator Raja Rahebar Khan questioned the transfer by citing a past precedent in Bandra West, where a plot previously provided for Bandra-Worli sea link works was later sold to Adani.
Defending the proposal, BJP corporator Prakash Gangadhare stated that the land was being provided on lease specifically for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project under clear terms and conditions. BJP corporator Aneesh Makwaney maintained that the opposition was trying to stall work aimed at improving living conditions in Dharavi. Improvements committee chairperson and Shiv Sena corporator Sandhya Doshi stated that all members were allowed to express their views before the proposal was sanctioned.
