Dharavi redevelopment: PIL in HC challenges transfer of Mulund salt-pan land
A lawyer filed a PIL in Bombay HC against the transfer of sensitive salt-pan land for Dharavi redevelopment, citing environmental concerns and legal violations
MUMBAI: A lawyer on Monday filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay high court challenging the transfer of salt-pan land in Mulund from the Centre to the Maharashtra government, which is partly to be used for the rehabilitation of some Dharavi residents.
In his petition, Sagar Devre, a Mumbai resident, stated that salt-pan lands are a highly sensitive part of the coastal ecosystem, which includes mangroves, wetlands, and estuaries, and the livelihood of many salt harvesters depends on them. Salt pans, which are low-lying tracts of land parcels, act as a sponge to absorb rain and prevent excessive flooding in Mumbai.
The petition was filed days after the Centre approved the transfer of three salt-pan land parcels in Kanjurmarg, Bhandup and Mulund on lease to the Maharashtra government for the Dharavi redevelopment project. Dharavi Redevelopment Project Private Limited (DRPPL), a special-purpose vehicle formed by the state government and the Adani Group, had requested the transfer in October 2023. The state government plans to use the acquired salt-pan land to develop rental, low-cost, and affordable housing for residents who were ineligible to get redeveloped homes in Dharavi.
According to the petition, an office memorandum (OM) issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on August 23 regarding the transfer of certain land owned by the salt commissioner to DRPPL was in contravention of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1985. It further alleged that the OM was issued without public consultation and lacked statutory backing.
The petition claimed that as per earlier guidelines issued by the DPIIT, salt-pan land could only be transferred to the central government, state governments or their public sector enterprises. In November 2023, the government body had informed the Maharashtra government that since the Adani Group had an 80% stake in DRPPL, the land could not be transferred to the special-purpose vehicle, the petition said. DPIIT told the state government that the Slum Rehabilitation Authority should instead apply for the transfer of the salt-pan land, the petition added.
The petition further stated that the salt-pan land that was transferred to DRPPL is classified as Coastal Regulation Zone 1B (inter-tidal areas) and, hence, there can be no development on it. It added that the transfer of the land and other policies surrounding the development project were also in contravention of judgments of the Supreme Court and the Bombay high court, the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010, and the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.
Devre claimed that after he came to know about the OM that was uploaded on the website of the salt commissioner on September 24, 2024, he wrote to various authorities the following day. However, he did not receive any response, he said. The lawyer is pushing for the PIL to get an urgent hearing on Wednesday.
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