RTI reveals politicians promised land won’t be used despite payment being made prior to Assembly polls; Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL) paid Rs 319.70 crore to procure 58.5 acre of the land
The colony (circled) being constructed for Dharavi project-affected people near salt pan land in Mulund East. File Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Documents received in response to a Right to Information (RTI) Act query reveal that the payment process for handing over salt pan land at Mulund to the state government was completed in October 2024. Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL) paid Rs 319.70 crore to procure 58.5 acre of the land.
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Mulund resident Adv. Sagar Devre filed an RTI application with DRPPL in December 2024, seeking information on the land handover process for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. Devre received information on January 20. The state government had transferred Rs 319.70 crore to the Department for Promotion of Industries and Internal Trade of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on October 10, 2024.
According to the document, the land will be handed over to the state government on a 99-year lease, which can’t be transferred to anybody. But the state government can sub-lease the land to the beneficiaries of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. Also, the state government shall comply with the suggestion of the Ministry of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change which stated that the use of land should be subject to all statutory compliance and clearance. Accordingly, the state government needs to pay compensation for lessees if any existing lease is in place and also meet the cost of rehabilitation of salt pan workers.
On August 30, 2024, the state government decided to free up 120.5 acre, 76.9 acre and 58.5 acre of salt pan land in Kanjurmarg, Bhandup and Mulund, respectively, for the rehabilitation of families affected by the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. Mulund residents have been agitating against the government’s decision. S V R Shrinivas, CEO and officer on special duty, Dharavi Redevelopment Project, did not respond to calls and text messages.
The hearing for a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the state government’s decision, filed by Devre in the Bombay High Court, is set for January 30. “We will request the court to start hearing this PIL as the state government has already paid for the land. Prior to the Assembly election, politicians told voters from Mulund that the land would not be handed over for the project. However, the payment process had already been completed by then,” Devre said, adding that they are not opposed to the rehabilitation of Dharavi residents, but are against the use of salt pan land. “This project will put a burden on Mulund’s infrastructure and also damage the environment,” said another resident.
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