MUMBAI: A proposal to lease around 15 acres of reclaimed land at the Mulund dumping ground to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) for five years faced was passed by the Shiv Sena-BJP-led improvement committee panel. The proposal faced stiff opposition from Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress members at the meeting held on Friday.The land sanctioned is proposed to be used for setting up a casting yard, a precast element manufacturing facility and a ready-mix concrete (RMC) plant for the Dharavi redevelopment project. Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator and committee chairperson Sandhya Doshi said all members were given an opportunity to express their views before the proposal was sanctioned.Opposing the proposal, UBT leader Vishaka Raut said Mulund residents would not accept the decision. “Mulund people will never forgive the ruling party for passing for this,” she said.Congress party leader Ashraf Azmi questioned why the civic body had not invited tenders in the open market for the land. “Why give the land without calling for tenders? This raises questions of favouritism.”Congress corporator Sachin Padwal said the RMC plant should instead be located in Dharavi. “The travel from Dharavi to Mulund will be too far. History has shown that public land which has gone in the past has never come back,” he said.Padwal also alleged that several reservation changes had been made in the past six months. “In six months, there have been 42 proposals only for reservation changes. The next generation will not forgive the ruling party,” he said.Congress corporator from Andheri BMC Meher Haider also questioned the manner in which civic land was being allotted. “You cannot give municipal public land to any private party without a tender,” she said.Bandra West corporator Raja Rahebar Khan at the meeting recalled that how a space in Bandra West had earlier been provided for the Bandra Worli sea Link-related works, and subsequently was sold to Adani ” he said.Defending the proposal, Mulund corporator Prakash Gangadhare said the land was being provided for the benefit of the Dharavi redevelopment project. “Please see the terms and conditions,” he told the opposition party corporators.BJP corporator Aneesh Makwaney said the opposition was attempting to stall a project aimed at improving living conditions in Dharavi.“I think Dharavi people are living in poor conditions. Our government is trying to improve the condition of Dharavi and you are trying to halt development, which includes construction of a casting yard. We are planning to give pucca houses,” Makwaney said.He added that due process had been followed in the allotment of the land.
