Prime govt plot at Juhu sought to be monetised by BSNL

According to the notification issued on July 31, the land near BSNL wireless station, next to Podar International School in Santacruz, already has government buildings, staff quarters and an existing office on part of the land and “(since these) are being used for the designated purpose as shown in the said Development Plan, the applicant’s request regarding deletion of the said designations for that portion of land cannot be considered”

Mumbai: The urban development department has sanctioned a proposed modification in the Development Plan 2034, which entails deleting the reservation for a government office on a prime 3.5-acre plot near Juhu Garden and converting it into a residential zone. The step was taken after PSU Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) requested the change, citing proposed future development on the land.

The telecom PSU made a second representation in July 2021, requesting the deletions and a change in the alignment of an internal road. It also submitted supporting documents and photographs showing the existing site. The BMC also submitted a report. (Vijay Bate/HT Photo)

According to the notification issued on July 31, the land near BSNL wireless station, next to Podar International School in Santacruz, already has government buildings, staff quarters and an existing office on part of the land and “(since these) are being used for the designated purpose as shown in the said Development Plan, the applicant’s request regarding deletion of the said designations for that portion of land cannot be considered”.

The notification then adds, “However… Government is satisfied that, in the public interest, it is expedient to delete the designation of ‘Government Office’ (D02.1) and the reservation of ‘Government Office’ (RO2.l) on the said land.”

The urban development department first received a representation from BSNL’s chief engineer (civil) in November 2020, stating that the land was originally in the name of the Department of Telecommunications and was further mutated in the name of BSNL. The engineer said that BSNL had plans for future development, expansion/monetisation of the land and requested the government to delete the three reservations.

The telecom PSU made a second representation in July 2021, requesting the deletions and a change in the alignment of an internal road. It also submitted supporting documents and photographs showing the existing site. The BMC also submitted a report.

The July 31 notification has invited suggestions and objections to the proposed modification as per Section 37 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act (MRTP), 1966. Clearing the decks for the change in reservation, it says that the reservations mentioned should be deleted, the land should be included in the ‘R’ zone and the alignment of the existing road should be modified as well.

A senior UD official told HT, “BSNL wanted to monetise the property, and hence had made repeated requests. The government finally acceded to the request.”

Like state telecom utility MTNL, BSNL has also been on a monetisation spree and put up a list of 4,543 BSNL offices, staff quarters, factory sheds and other properties on rent across India, including 767 properties in Maharashtra. Most of these are at prime locations. In April this year, the telecom giant invited bids for 10,000 telecom tower assets on a 20-year operate-maintain-transfer basis, according to information on its website.

According to real estate industry experts, the market rate of 3.5 acres in the area is approximately ₹7.5 lakh per square yard, and an outright sale transaction could be valued at ₹800 crore.