For more than a decade, the state government and builders have been trying to open up the over 5,000 acres of Mumbai's salt pans for development. Environmentalists warn that the misstep can lead to an ecological disaster. Although the official line of the state is that salt pans will be utilised only to rehouse slumdwellers displaced by infrastructure projects in the city, it is widely believed that the rules will be relaxed after some time to allow commercial exploitation.
State urban development department secretary Manu Kumar Srivastava denied that the Wadala plot was part of the salt pans. "It does not fall under the coastal regulation zone (CRZ)," he said on Wednesday.
A government notice issued last week, inviting objections and suggestions from the public on the development, said the land (city survey number 6 of Wadala Salt Pan) measures about 2.88 lakh sq m (71 acres). Another 3.92 lakh sq m (97 acres) designated as "protected forest" has been excluded from the development. The total area of the plot is shown as 6.81 lakh sq m (167 acres).
"The government finds it expedient to urgently delete the land from no-development zone and designate it for reservation of government offices and allied uses by including the same in residential zone," the notice said. All salt pan lands are controlled by the Centre; however, the Wadala sprawl was handed over to the state government some decades ago, a salt department official said.
Srivastava said the government's plans "to create a hub for all government departments in one location. Currently, field offices, directorates and departments are in different areas. They could be all brought under one roof to improve efficiency." The proposal to de-reserve the Wadala plot-which is more than thrice the size of Oval Maidan-was initiated by the sales tax department. Srivastava said other government departments too could propose shifting their offices there in the future, although the state headquarters, Mantralaya, would not be relocating there.
The state move triggered alarm among environmentalists. "All lands in India that fall within the low tide line and the high tide line are classified as CRZ-I. No reclamation or construction is permitted within CRZ-I either for government offices or for allied uses, whatever that means," said Debi Goenka, executive trustee of Conservation Action Trust. "Would these allied uses include housing colonies for government officers, ministers, MLAs, MPs, MLCs, etc.?"
The trust said that given the paucity of open spaces in Mumbai, converting mangroves and salt pans into built-up areas is not "desirable". "All these areas should be kept open to the sky. If the tidal flow is restored, even this area will regenerate and become mangroves," it said.
Mumbai's salt pans are spread over Ghatkopar, Chembur, Trombay, Mandale, Turbhe, Anik, Wadala, Kanjurmarg, Bhandup, Nahur and Mulund in the eastern suburbs and Malvani, Dahisar, Mira-Bhayander and Virar in the western belt.
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