Maharashtra Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad has continued his resistance against residential and commercial projects on salt pan lands in Mumbai.
Awhad, today demanded that MMRDA should scrap the tenders called for the appointment of project management consultants for salt pans which in coming years will open doors for builders.
Awhad further said that the Maharashtra chief secretary should take into consideration Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's point of view and scrap the High Power Committee meeting called over the same .
Besides Awhad, Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray has also strongly opposed the opening up of salt pan lands spread over 5,500 acres in Mumbai for residential and commercial development.
Their opposition came to the fore after the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) received a bid for the appointment of a consultant to prepare a plan for the development of affordable housing on salt pan lands in the city. This is a crucial issue in the run-up to the upcoming elections to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation and also for the adjoining Thane and Navi Mumbai civic bodies.
Incidentally, the Congress-NCP government in 2004 had appointed the MMRDA as the implementing agency for development of salt pan lands in Mumbai.
In Mumbai, salt pans are largely located in central Mumbai at Wadala, in the eastern suburbs at Turbhe, Kanjurmarg, Bhandup, Nahur and Mulund and in the western suburbs of Malvani and Dahisar and in the distant suburbs of Mira-Bhayandar and Virar in Palghar district.
“Being asked about allowing residential/ commercial construction on salt pan lands, I reiterate that there will be no residential or commercial construction allowed on salt pan lands. There is more than enough space other than these lands to construct on", Aaditya tweeted.
According to Awhad, “Salt pan lands in Mumbai should not be given for construction purpose, residential or commercial, it will prove disastrous for Mumbai.” He further noted, “The salt pan lands come under the Central government but development on them will need permission from the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation and the state Housing Department. I have held discussions with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray and there was a unanimous decision to save these salt pan lands and deny any proposal for construction on them.”
The MMRDA had, in all, given four extensions to receive bids for the appointment of a consultant for the preparation of a roadmap for development of affordable housing on salt pan lands under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The BJP-led government, in view of lack of availability of required land for affordable housing under PMAY, had in 2014, reiterated the earlier decision to appoint MMRDA as an implementing agency. Now that the MMRDA has now received a bid for a consultant to prepare a comprehensive plan, it has run into opposition by Aaditya and Awhad.
