The proposed redevelopment of the Mulund landfill site has raised questions over the future of a golf course plan after 15 acres of the reclaimed land were approved for temporary use in the Dharavi redevelopment project.
The BMC Improvement Committee recently approved a proposal to lease 15 acres of the Mulund landfill site to Navbharat Mega Developers Private Limited, associated with the Dharavi redevelopment project, for five years. The land will be used for a casting yard, precast production facility and ready-mix concrete (RMC) plant. The lease is expected to generate Rs 98.46 crore for the civic body.
The development has put the spotlight on a proposal backed by BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha to develop a golf course on the reclaimed landfill site. The BMC had granted permission to the Professional Golf Tour of India in December 2025 to conduct a feasibility study for the proposed golf course.
However, the feasibility survey has not yet been carried out, according to the report. This has led to questions over whether the allocation of part of the land for the Dharavi project could affect the golf course proposal.
Land reclamation nearing completion
The BMC began the scientific reclamation of the Mulund landfill after the site approached its capacity and was ordered to be closed. A contractor was appointed in June 2018 to process and dispose of accumulated waste and reclaim the land.
The reclamation work is now nearing completion. Kotecha had subsequently proposed using the reclaimed land for a golf course.
The permission granted to the Professional Golf Tour of India, an organisation associated with former cricketer Kapil Dev, allows only a feasibility assessment. It does not permit construction or development work. The study must be conducted at the organisation’s expense without disrupting waste-management activities and must comply with environmental and other statutory requirements.
Meanwhile, North East Mumbai MP Sanjay Dina Patil had earlier proposed developing a hospital on the site. He had also opposed the golf course proposal while associated with the Shiv Sena (Thackeray).
Kotecha said he had recently spoken to the organisation and that its architects would soon conduct a survey. He added that the survey would cover the remaining 50 acres of the reclaimed land.
Source: Loksatta
