In a move that will unlock salt pan land for public facilities, the Maharashtra government has proposed to remove “Natural Area (NA)” reservation from nearly 20,000 sqm of land under Mumbai’s Salt Pan Division to make way for an IAS officers’ gymkhana and a government warehouse for EVMs and VVPAT machines. The Urban Development Department (UDD), through a notification dated September 5, 2025, has invited objections and suggestions from the public within one month of its publication in the Maharashtra Government Gazette. The notice, issued under Section 37(1AA) of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966, will modify the sanctioned Development Plan–2034 of Greater Mumbai, if approved, as the state government reviews reserved “Natural Areas” in the city’s development plan to facilitate public-use projects. As per the notice, two land parcels in the Salt Pan Division — C.S. No. 4 (part) measuring 6,475 sqm and C.S. No. 5 (part) measuring 13,843.82 sqm — will see their current “Natural Area” reservations deleted. The land from C.S. No. 4 (pt) is proposed to be brought under the “Residential Zone (R Zone)” and reserved for a government office – R02.1 (EVM & VVPAT machines warehouse). The land from C.S. No. 5 (pt) is to be included in the same R Zone and designated for a Civil Services Institute Gymkhana to be used by the IAS association. The notification follows a series of communications between the Mumbai City District Collector, the Revenue Department and the Urban Development Department. The Collector, in an October 2024 letter to the government, had recommended deletion of the “Natural Area” designation for the two plots, stating that the lands “are not affected by mangroves or hills” and that portions are already under temporary use by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL). The letter also added that some existing structures occupy portions of the site. The proposal is backed by a state Cabinet decision dated March 16, 2024. The Revenue Department, following that decision, suggested that the land parcel of 13,843.82 sqm from C.S. No. 5 be allotted to the IAS association for the creation of a “Civil Services Institute Gymkhana,” while 6,475 sqm from C.S. No. 4 be reserved for constructing a warehouse for EVMs and VVPATs for the Mumbai Suburban District administration. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), which is the planning authority for the area, had submitted a report to the state government on March 10, 2025, supporting the proposal and urged the UDD to take an appropriate decision under the MRTP Act. The change falls under Section 37(1AA) of the MRTP Act, which empowers the state government to directly modify a Development Plan for cases of urgent public interest without routing proposals through the municipal corporation. The section also mandates a one-month period during which citizens can submit objections or suggestions. While the move is being justified on administrative and civic grounds, urban policy researcher and environmentalist Zoru Bathena said that the repeated deletions of “Natural Area” tags could raise questions about the reduction of environmentally significant or buffer spaces within Mumbai’s urban plan. Salt Pan lands — located along the eastern belt of the city — have long been at the centre of debates between development advocates and environmentalists, with the former citing underutilisation and the latter warning of potential loss of city ventilation zones and natural flood buffers. The UDD’s notice emphasises “public interest” as the rationale for the proposed modification. Once the public hearing phase concludes and the deputy director submits a report, the government will decide whether to sanction the modification permanently. If approved, the land will officially lose its “Natural Area” classification and become part of the city’s R Zone, paving the way for construction of the gymkhana and the EVM warehouse — both promoted as facilities to serve critical government and administrative needs.
