20,000 sqm of salt pan land reclassified as residential zone

The Maharashtra government has converted two salt pan lands in Wadala for construction, allowing a gymkhana and warehouses for EVMs.

MUMBAI: The state government on Saturday published a notice regarding the conversion of two salt pan land parcels in Wadala from NA or natural area to R Zone or residential zone land, which means it can be constructed on. A gymkhana for the IAS Officers Association and warehouses for EVMs-VVPAT machines will be built on the two plots. The land is not covered by hills or mangroves and is already being utilised temporarily by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited, said an official.

Mumbai, India - February 11, 2020: Salt pan workers at Wadala salt pans, Wadala, Mumbai, India, on February 11 2020. (Photo by Aalok Soni/ Hindustan Times) (Aalok Soni/HT PHOTO)

The warehouse will be built on 6,475 sq m of land, as reported on June 6 by HT, on the plot which was classified as salt pan land a few decades ago and has been lying vacant ever since. The state government has now decided to give another 13,843.82 sq m to civil servants for a gymkhana. Together, this accounts for 20,318.82 sq m of salt pan land being dereserved for construction.

According to the Development Plan of Mumbai (DP-2034), both land parcels were shown as natural areas (NA) and were reserved for either rehabilitation and resettlement of project-affected people or a depot for BEST or were to be left as a natural area. Thus, for the proposed modification, the urban development department has issued a notice under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966.

“The NA shown in the DP measuring 13,843.82 sq m of the salt pan division of Mumbai is proposed to be deleted,” states the notice. “The land deleted from ‘NA’ is proposed to be included in the ‘R zone’ for the use of ‘Civil Services institute Gymkhana’. The ‘Natural Area (NA) shown in the land measuring 6,475 sq m is proposed to be deleted…. (and) included in ‘R zone’ and proposed to be reserved for ‘EVM and VVPAT Machines Warehouse.”

Last October, the district collector of Mumbai city sent a letter to the revenue department, requesting it to delete the two land parcels from NA zoning and make them available for public purposes. “The land parcels don’t have mangroves or hills on them, and a large part of the land has been transferred to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited on a temporary basis,” said an official. “There are already some structures on some parts of the land.”

Earlier, EVMs were stored in foodgrain warehouses, select sections of Mumbai Port Authority and Railways offices, schools and other such places. But the office of the state’s Chief Electoral Officer has now decided to construct dedicated warehouses for EVM-VVPATs. It has already constructed such warehouses in 21 districts of Maharashtra and proposes to do the same in Mumbai.

The government has invited suggestions and objections from the public to this use of salt pan land.