MMRDA begins land acquisition in Uttan village for Rs 58,754 crore sea link
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has officially initiated the land acquisition process in Uttan village for the first phase of the proposed Rs 58,754.71-crore Uttan-Virar sea link. The development authority recently issued a 15-day notice to local landowners to state whether they are willing to surrender their land through private negotiations for the major infrastructure project.
The project, which will eventually be renamed the Mumbai-Vadhavan Expressway Connectivity project, has been granted special status by the Maharashtra state government. It has been designated as both an "Ambitious Urban Transport Project" and an "Urgent Public Project" in order to expedite its overall execution.
According to the public notice issued by Ajinkya Padwal, the additional collector and deputy metropolitan commissioner of the MMRDA, the authority plans to acquire a total of 104.2851 hectares of land in the area. The state government recently approved the detailed project report (DPR) and the final implementation strategy for this first phase.
The ongoing land acquisition is being carried out under the legal provisions of Section 126(1)(a) and (b) of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966. Under these specific regulations, landowners in Uttan village have multiple options for compensation. They can either enter into direct negotiated settlements to receive monetary payments, or they can opt for compensation in the form of Floor Space Index (FSI) and Transferable Development Rights (TDR).
To support the massive infrastructure development, the Maharashtra state government will provide Rs 11,116.27 crore as non-interest financial assistance. This state-level financial backing includes Rs 2,619 crore earmarked specifically for land acquisition processes and Rs 261 crore allocated for the rehabilitation and resettlement of affected persons. The remaining portion of the state's financial assistance will cover various taxes payable to both the Central and state governments.
