The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has decided to offer up property in the Thane-Belapur area for residential complexes, raising alarms only days before the electoral code of conduct goes into effect on October 15th. This judgement concerns redeveloping encroached property in the industrial estate, representing a substantial shift in regional land use policy.
The MIDC has approved a program under which 225 acres of land will be handed to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) for private developers to build housing complexes. This quick decision-making process, completed shortly before the code of conduct for assembly elections went into force, has prompted concerns about the timing and urgency of the move. MIDC officials declined to comment on the development.
According to insiders, there have been conversations about implementing slum redevelopment programs in this industrial belt for many years. However, the present design focusses on integrated development and mass housing, similar to the Island Group Development Scheme. Meetings held in the previous month have outlined the approach for a cluster development scheme in the Thane-Belapur industrial belt, which includes Digha, Airoli, Mahape, Pawne, Turbhe, and Shiravane.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the recommended open area per person is 9 square meters, but it is only 3 square meters in Navi Mumbai and 1.1 square meters in Mumbai, he added.
Source: The Free Press Journal
