Development Control rules need them to give land to BMC and Mhada for playgrounds, affordable houses
Despite repeated demands from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), several city mill owners have not surrendered portions of their land that the two bodies are entitled to. These plots of land are meant to be developed as recreation grounds or for the construction of affordable houses for the weaker sections of society.
In 1991, changes in the Development Control (DC) rules allowed mill owners to redevelop or sell their land, provided the owner hands over one-third portions of the open land on the premises to the BMC and Mhada each.
As per the records, Jubilee Mills-Swan has to hand over 1,992 sqm to the BMC and 1,629 sqm to Mhada. Century Mill (I) needs to give 4,744 sqm to the BMC and 4,888 sqm to Mhada. Century Mill (II) will have to surrender 1,368 sqm to the BMC and 14,082 sqm to Mhada.
Other defaulters include: Prakash Cotton Mill, which has to hand over 6,887 sqm to the BMC and 5,226 sqm to Mhada. Hindustan Spinning Mill has to give 806 sqm to the BMC and 659 sqm to Mhada. Bombay Dyeing (Sewri) needs to surrender 25,775 sqm to the BMC and 26,556 sqm to Mhada. Bombay Dyeing (Worli) owes 7,052 sqm to the BMC and 5,770 sqm to Mhada.
“We have asked the owners of all these mills to hand over our share. If they are not willing to do the same, we will ask our building proposal department not to pass any redevelopment plan of any of them. We need to create more open spaces and recreation grounds for the city’s increasing population,” said a senior civic official. The state government monitoring committee is looking after the handing over of the plots.
“If the mill owners surrender the land on time, Mhada will be able to construct affordable houses for citizens on time,” said government officials.
The Girni Kamgar Sangharsh Samiti’s secretary Datta Iswalkar said, “Government apathy and a nexus between government officials and mills owners are responsible for the delay. If the government takes stern action, mill owners will surrender the plots without any delays.”
VY Tamhane, secretary of the mill owners association, said that the allegations against the mill owners are baseless. “Handing over the land is not an easy process. We need to carry out a joint survey and change the name on the property card. We are in the process of handing over the lands. Government officials should understand our problem and help us resolve it,” he said.
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