A lawyer filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court on Monday, challenging the Centre’s transfer of salt-pan land in Mulund to the Maharashtra government, which will be used in part to rehabilitate certain Dharavi inhabitants.
Sagar Devre, a Mumbai resident, noted in his appeal that salt-pan lands are a highly sensitive aspect of the coastal environment, which also includes mangroves, wetlands, and estuaries, and that they are essential to the livelihoods of many salt harvesters. Salt pans, which are low-lying land parcels, act like a sponge, absorbing rain and preventing severe floods in Mumbai.
The plea was submitted just days after the Centre authorised leasing three salt-pan land parcels in Kanjurmarg, Bhandup, and Mulund to the Maharashtra government for the Dharavi redevelopment project. Dharavi Redevelopment Project Private Limited (DRPPL), a special-purpose vehicle established by the state government and the Adani Group, requested the transfer in October 2023. The state government intends to use the acquired salt-pan land to create rental, low-cost, and inexpensive housing for Dharavi inhabitants who were previously ineligible for redevelopment.
The petition claimed that according to previous DPIIT guidelines, salt-pan land may only be transferred to the central government, state governments, or their public sector firms. The government authority advised the Maharashtra government in November 2023 that the land could not be transferred to the special-purpose vehicle because the Adani Group owned 80% of DRPPL, according to the plea. The DPIIT informed the state government that the Slum Rehabilitation Authority should instead seek for the transfer of salt-pan land, according to the petition.
The petition further argued that the salt-pan land donated to DRPPL is categorised as Coastal Regulation Zone 1B (intertidal zones), which means that no development is permitted. It went on to say that the land transfer and other policies surrounding the development project violated Supreme Court and Bombay High Court judgements, as well as the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010, and 2017.
Devre stated that after learning about the OM, which was posted on the salt commissioner’s website on September 24, 2024, he wrote to many authorities the next day. However, he did not receive an answer, he stated.
Source: Hindustan Times
