MUMBAI: Mahayuti govt, which has been allotting plots of vacant land in each successive cabinet, is considering a proposal to allot a portion of roughly 180 acres of land in Madh Island near Malad (West) for the Adani group-led Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP).
A portion of the land will be demarcated for other applicants, including singer Kailash Kher’s singing academy, Aditya Birla group’s proposal for a hospital, an MLA housing society, and a temple trust. The proposal is expected to be presented at the next meeting of the state cabinet.
Madh Island has large swathes of land in CRZ I, where construction is restricted. It is known mainly for its bungalows, resorts, shooting destinations for Bollywood, and fishing villages. The coastal road, though, promises to improve connectivity and boost real estate prices.
Currently, prices range from Rs 2,000 to 2,600 per square foot. But in the CRZ zone, prices can drop to around 40% of that, or around Rs 1,000 a square foot.
Roughly 100 acres of land from the parcel is proposed to be allotted to the housing department for DRP, sources said. The other 80 acres will remain with the revenue department, but portions of it will be demarcated to the applicants, sources said. “The revenue department will only demarcate the land for the other applicants. They will have to apply for the land. The applications will be scrutinised, and the allotments will be made according to govt policy,” said a senior official.
The MLA housing society, which has applied for the land parcel, was originally meant to be located in Versova. However, the building could not come up because of CRZ rules.
Last week, the cabinet had approved the acquisition of 256 acres of ecologically fragile salt-pan land from the Centre on lease to house people who were ineligible to get homes under the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. — Priyanka Kakodkar
