Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced the government’s intention to build a consensus on the release of usable salt pan lands in Mumbai that were declared non-development zones in 1991. He believes that Mumbai’s slum rehabilitation and redevelopment will not be successful without utilising these lands. The lands will be utilised after applying all sustainability and environmental norms.
Mumbai’s salt pan lands, which cover an area of 5,500 acres, are mostly non-developable. Unnatural salt pan lands are either cultivated much after natural salt pans or reserved as non-development zones around natural ones to protect them from encroachment. In north Mumbai, a significant number of slums are on forest land, which is difficult to develop due to stringent forest norms. Fadnavis believes that shifting some of these slums to salt pan lands for rehabilitation is necessary.
The government is looking to build a consensus among stakeholders to avoid political or environmental conflicts surrounding the use of these unnatural salt pan lands. Fadnavis said that salt pan lands that are not natural or developable can be used by applying all sustainability and environment norms to speed up Mumbai’s stalled development.
The government has recently made progress in the development of slums around the airport by agreeing to in-situ development of the slums with the Civil Aviation Ministry. Fadnavis noted that the major block is on railway land, where the Supreme Court has opposed rehabilitation.
The government is negotiating with the Defense Ministry for a proposal to offer additional land outside the city, such as in Navi Mumbai, for the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) schemes on slum-occupied defense lands. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is expected to approve a plan soon to develop the Mumbai Port Trust’s eastern waterfront.