The office of Mumbai’s Deputy Salt Commissioner will soon write to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry about the request from Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) Slum Authority to provide them salt pan lands. On May 17, the slum authority had written to the Salt Commissioner’s office seeking land to build a rental housing scheme for ineligible slum dwellers.
The DRP has asked for land in Wadala, Kurla village Kanjur (Arthur salt works) and (Jenkins salt works), Mulund (Jamasap salt works) and has also asked the Salt Commissioner to make available any other salt pan land in the vicinity of 10 kms from Dharav.i
An official from the Salt Commissioner’s office, who did not wish to be named said, “The office will write to the ministry with regards to any encumbrance on these land parcels, and if there is any litigation. Then, a survey will be conducted based on the reply.”
The DRP authority will be required to pay for the salt pan land, as per its market value. The authority has asked to lease the land for 99 years for the affordable rental housing scheme.
The DRP authority said that approximately 3.5 – 4 lakh people, who are ineligible as they live on mezzanine and upper floors in the slums structures, will be given rental housing. It is expected that approximately 50,000 such families will be given affordable housing, and 1.5 lakh individuals, who are migrants, will be given affordable shared rental accommodation. The State Urban Development Department had earlier directed the DRP authority to get requisite permission for the said housing scheme. The rental houses will be constructed as per the Development Control and Promotions Regulation-2034.
Meanwhile, the DRP has completed the tendering process for Dharavi, which is Asia’s biggest slum cluster, in November last year, wherein Adani Realty, which quoted Rs 5,069 crore for the project, was the winning bidder. However, the state government is yet to approve the winning bidder so as to clear the path to allot the Letter of Intent (LOI).