MTNL-BSNL Land Monetisation: Panel Formed To Resolve DP Reservation Deadlock

A committee, comprising senior officers from the state and central governments, has been formed to address the land reservation roadblock concerning the plots belonging to MTNL and BSNL, sources close to the development told the FPJ.

The long-awaited plan to monetise the land belonging to Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) remains stuck as most of their plots have been reserved for public amenities in the development plan (DP). Having senior officers from the BMC, MTNL and BSNL, the committee has been given a month's deadline to come up with a solution.

The panel has been formed at the behest of the Union ministry of communications, led by Jyotiraditya Scindia, who recently met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss the issue.

According to sources, there are 117 properties listed for monetisation; of which just one land parcel has been leased out by the state government. Most of the MTNL and BSNL properties in Mumbai are either on the plots leased out by the BMC or the Centre, they added. Sources also said that the BMC has deleted a few reservations and has also stopped the use of a public amenity.

What apparently irked the Union ministry is the reservation of MTNL and BSNL lands for public amenities by the BMC. While the central government wants all such reservations to be deleted from the DP, the civic body thinks that such tags can not be done away with outrightly. Instead, the BMC is believed to have said that the reservations can be realigned or relocated in such a manner that both the central public sector utilities can fetch better prices for their lands.

The Centre decided to monetise the properties way back in 2019. An advertisement for the purpose was issued last year.