A plan to allocate 140 acres of land in Madh for relocating Dharavi residents as part of the Dharavi redevelopment project was approved by the state cabinet on Thursday. The land will be used to construct affordable rental housing for Dharavi residents who do not qualify for free housing under the redevelopment plan. The Hindustan Times had previously covered this proposal in its October 6 edition.
An additional 55 acres from the same land parcel will be assigned to the Aditya Birla group for constructing a hospital, a housing society for MLAs, the Swami Narayan Trust and a private music academy. The MLAs were initially allocated plots in Versova, but they were unable to develop them due to restrictions imposed by the Coastal Regulation Zone notification.
The rental housing project for Dharavi residents has already been allocated 255 acres of salt pan land in Kanjurmarg and Mulund, as well as 21.25 acres in the Kurla dairy. The state has rejected the proposal to build Dharavi rental housing at the former octroi check posts in Mulund and Dahisar, but may consider allotting the now-defunct Deonar dumping ground for the project.
Most of Madh is designated as a No-Development Zone (NDZ) due to its coastal location. Additionally, there is an Air Force base in the area. However, earlier this year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) permitted controlled development, including IT parks in this region. With the Mumbai Coastal Road set to reach Versova soon, development is beginning to take place in this peaceful and green neighborhood.
In response to the allocation on Thursday, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticized the ruling Mahayuti alliance. In a post on a social media platform, X, she commented, “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 also expressed her dissatisfaction. In her post on X, Gaikwad stated that it was just another land parcel being given to the “Modani Vikas Project”! She further added, “Is there no limit to their greed? The cabinet hurried through several decisions just so that they can exploit Mumbai more before the code of conduct comes into effect. And once again, they have selected another land parcel to be given to the Modani development project.”
Gaikwad’s post continued, “Apart from Madh Island, they have also decided to allocate a land parcel in Borivali to the Dharavi redevelopment project. How much land do they actually need for this project? We have been saying from the beginning that there are no ineligible residents; all residents of Dharavi are eligible. This entire facade 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 allocated 502 hectares of land in Dapchari village, in Dahanu, Palghar district, to the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). This land was supposed to be set aside for dairies that were to be relocated from Aarey Colony, but many dairies are unwilling to move.
The MIDC was considering this land for development due to its proximity to the new Vadhavan Port in Palghar district and the proposed port in Murbe nearby. However, this will result in a significant loss of green cover, leading former secretary in the state Dairy Development Department, Tukaram Mundhe, to object to the transfer of this land.
