The Worli BMC land lease proposal involving 11,299.53 square metres of municipal land and an estimated value of Rs 815.61 crore has drawn opposition ahead of its consideration by Mumbai’s Improvements Committee. The land, currently used for an asphalt mixing plant, is proposed to be leased for 30 years, with an option to renew it for another 30 years.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has placed the proposal before the Improvements Committee for approval. The committee is expected to consider it at a meeting scheduled for the coming week, according to a report by Loksatta. The parcel is described in the report as municipal land in Worli’s Lower Parel area.
The proposed lease is part of the civic body’s effort to increase revenue by monetising some of its vacant or underused land parcels. The corporation decided in 2024 to lease selected properties, and two sites were initially shortlisted. The Worli asphalt plant site was among them.
The municipal corporation has reportedly conducted a tender process for the parcel since 2024. Following the tender process, the site has been selected for allotment to a developer, and the related proposal has now been brought before the Improvements Committee.
The proposal has already faced political opposition. Congress group leader Ashraf Azmi has argued that leasing the land would cause the Mumbai civic body losses running into thousands of crores and has demanded that the proposal be withdrawn. The report does not provide the developer’s name, the detailed terms of the tender, the proposed development plan or the basis used to determine the lease value.
The case places a high-value municipal asset at the centre of a wider revenue strategy. The corporation’s stated approach is to generate income from land it owns as its existing revenue sources weaken and new income options remain limited. However, the final decision will depend on the committee’s consideration of the proposal and the terms approved for the lease.
The proposed tenure is significant because the initial 30-year lease, if renewed, could keep the land outside direct municipal control for six decades. The available report does not specify whether the lease includes development restrictions, public-use obligations, rent escalation clauses, or safeguards linked to the asphalt plant’s operational requirements.
The Improvements Committee’s forthcoming meeting is the next formal milestone. Its decision will determine whether the proposal advances under the terms placed before the civic body.
