Concerns over a planned land grab by developers vying for control of prized real estate along Mumbai’s western shore have been raised by more than 100 recently constructed tenements on reclaimed land close to the Coastal Road retaining wall in Worli.
These structures, located in Markandeshwar Nagar, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Nagar, and Madraswadi, are now being demolished following a complaint by an alert citizen. Activists suspect that the slum-dwellers were strategically relocated by builders aiming to have them declared as Project Affected Persons (PAPs), enabling access to lucrative land parcels created under the Rs 14,000-crore Coastal Road project.
The Coastal Road, an eight-lane sea bridge stretching from Marine Lines to Bandra West, has resulted in the reclamation of 70 hectares along Mumbai’s western coast. Although the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has designated this reclaimed land for open spaces, various entities are already attempting to stake claims.
Earlier this week, Ports and Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane wrote to the municipal commissioner, proposing that the reclaimed land be transferred to his department for monetisation. However, following public backlash and opposition criticism, Rane withdrew his demand, as Supreme Court guidelines prohibit the commercialisation of reclaimed land.
With immense stakes involved, the land has become vulnerable to illegal encroachments. Citizen-activist Santosh Daundkar, who reported the 100-odd unauthorised structures to the city collector and the BMC’s coastal road department, stated, “These structures emerged after the retaining wall was built. The strategy of developers is to have these slum-dwellers classified as PAPs, enabling them to access rehabilitation benefits. Through forged documents, they would then be eligible for slum rehabilitation schemes, allowing builders to construct real-estate projects on prime reclaimed land.”
Following his complaint, the additional collector (city) directed the BMC to take immediate action, stressing the urgency of removing the illegal encroachments. Subsequently, the BMC’s coastal road department alerted the civic G-South ward, noting that these structures were obstructing ongoing sewer pipeline work behind the retaining wall and posed safety risks to workers.
Demolition of the unauthorised tenements is now underway. A senior G-South ward official confirmed, “We have already demolished 17 unauthorised structures along the Coastal Road wall. Those that are locked will be removed after securing police protection.”
Former IPS officer and advocate YP Singh, who resides in Worli, echoed these concerns, highlighting the increasing encroachments along CRZ-1AB intertidal land. “With the entire Coastal Road infrastructure and security in place, how could such illegal occupations occur in full view of the authorities?” Singh questioned. He pointed out that a comparison of satellite images from 2012 with present-day visuals clearly shows the appearance of numerous new slum structures.
Singh, like Daundkar, suspects Mumbai’s builder lobby is attempting to exploit the August 2024 Government Resolution (GR) on rehabilitation, which offers substantial Floor Space Index (FSI) benefits for PAPs. “Once these encroachments are classified as PAP settlements, developers could gain massive FSI to construct luxury skyscrapers facing the sea. This is nothing but an FSI-driven real estate grab,” he added.
Source: Hindustan Times
