Motilal Nagar residents allege developer-friendly plan, warn of protest

The Motilal Nagar Vikas Samiti alleged that Mhada’s redevelopment master plan contains “serious deficiencies” and has been designed primarily to benefit the developer rather than residents

Mumbai: Residents of Motilal Nagar in Goregaon have raised several objections to the redevelopment master plan unveiled by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) in April, alleging that it contains “serious deficiencies” and has been designed primarily to benefit the developer rather than residents.

iiMumbai, India - April 17, 2026: Sanjeev Jaiswal (IAS, 1996 batch) is the Vice President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) and Indian Administrative Service officer Milind N. Borikar at Motilala nagar during Public meeting for redevelopment of Motilal Nagar 1,2 & 3 at Ganesh Maidan, Goregaon in Mumbai, India, on Friday, April 17, 2026. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

The Motilal Nagar Vikas Samiti (MNVS), a residents’ body, has threatened to launch a protest march to Mhada headquarters and move the Bombay High Court if its concerns are not addressed.

At a meeting held on Sunday evening, the MNVS made a detailed presentation to residents outlining what it described as major shortcomings in the proposed layout.

“It was pointed out that the natural drainage channels have been diverted and redesigned with sharp right angle turns,” said MNVS secretary Nilesh Prabhu. “The distance between several proposed towers has been reduced to merely seven feet. Despite the availability of approximately 86 acres of land, residents are proposed to be accommodated within only about 9% of the total project area, resulting in extremely congested rehabilitation planning.”

The residents have questioned how a private developer can communicate directly with residents and societies instead of Mhada. “Estatevue Developers is only an agency who will invest funds and construct. It isn’t an agency’s role to engage with the residents,” said Yuvraj Mohite, another representative of MNVS. He added that their grievances and concerns were brought to Mhada chief executive Sanjeev Jaiswal’s notice on June 24.

Based on the available planning documents, MNVS alleged that the master plan appears to have been prepared primarily to maximise the developer’s commercial interests. It asserted that nearly 50% of the land in Motilal Nagar is presently occupied by existing residents, who are therefore entitled to a fair and proportionate share in the redevelopment of the land.

The residents have opposed the commencement of any redevelopment work without obtaining lawful consent from all cooperative housing societies and executing legally binding agreements with them. Their demands include the immediate stoppage of construction and holding discussions with MNVS regarding the carpet area entitlement, the corpus fund, and a socio-economic survey. They have sought a revision of the proposed master plan, and for all communication with residents to be undertaken directly by Mhada.

The association has announced a march to Mhada headquarters on July 6 if its demands are not met. “If necessary, once again we will approach the Bombay High Court seeking appropriate legal remedies,” said MNVS president Salim Khan. “We are not opposed to redevelopment. We welcome redevelopment that is lawful, transparent and protects the rights and dignity of the residents. However, we will not accept any redevelopment plan designed primarily for the benefit of the developer at the cost of residents’ rights.”

MHADA’s Jaiswal and Estatevue Developers did not respond to Hindustan Times request for a comment.

Motilal Nagar, a 143-acre site in Goregaon West featuring decades-old ground-plus-one chawls, is set to undergo one of India’s largest urban redevelopment projects. The ₹1 lakh crore project is being undertaken by the Adani Group through Estatevue Developers in partnership with Mhada.

In April, Mhada unveiled the project’s master plan, under which more than 3,700 eligible families are proposed to receive 1,600 sq ft rehabilitation homes. Resident groups, including the MNVS, have consistently demanded a minimum rehabilitation area of 2,000-2,400 sq ft, arguing that the land value justifies significantly larger homes.