Mumbai: The BMC is all set to procure a 6 acre salt land parcel in Mahul from the Union Government at a cost of Rs118 crore for the construction of a pumping station. The move will provide huge relief to King Circle, Sion, Matunga, Kurla, Sindhi Society, Chembur, Gandhi Market and Nehru Nagar areas which are prone to waterlogging during monsoons.
After the 2006 deluge, the BMC had initiated the Brimstowad project at Haji Ali, Worli Lovegrove, Reay Road, Cleveland Bunder, Juhu, Irla, Khar and Gazdhar Bandh. This made it possible for the civic body to pump out thousands of litres of water into the sea. However, the waterlogging problem persisted in areas like Wadala, King Circle, Kurla, Sion and Chembur as the BMC needed salt land at Mahul to tackle the problem.
Since 2019, when the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) government was in power, the stormwater drains (SWD) department of the BMC has been pressing its demand for the transfer of land and has written several letters in this regard to the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries but to no avail. Former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had also taken up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a video conference. In 2021, the BMC finally approached a private builder whose Mahul land was feasible for the construction of a pumping station. However, the civic body later learned that the land fell in the coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) where any type of construction is prohibited.
After the Shinde-Fadnavis government came into power in June 2022 the BMC approached the Union Government again for the land and now got permission to transfer 6.176 acre. In a letter, the Union Government of Commerce and Industries (salt section) stated that as per the request of the BMC, the civic body will pay Rs118 crore for the land and submit a letter in this regard so it can be put up before the Union Cabinet for approval.
