Environmentalists are up against development of city’s open spaces.
Even as the state government is eyeing open spaces like salt pan lands and no-development zones (NDZ) and allowing transfer of development rights (TDR) to free the city of slums, environmentalists are raising their voices against development on these lands.
“The move will be suicidal,” said Arvind Adarkar, joint director, Rachna Sansad College of Architecture. “The development of such lands has a direct connection with the July 26 deluge. Instead, the state should formulate a long-term plan to rehabilitate slum dwellers, as suggested by the Bombay High Court last year.”
Following the HC’s suggestion, the state had set up a high-power committee of secretaries and NGOs to formulate a “long-term solution” within three months. The HC had made the suggestion on a petition filed by an organisation called Guzdar Bund Association, Santacruz, challenging the repeated extensions in the cut-off date to legalise slums.
“Though the court had not insisted on a cut-off date, the committee’s aim was to decide on the number of people the city can accommodate. It’s been over a year and the government is yet to formulate a plan,” Adarkar said.
Incidentally, a committee headed by Chief Secretary D Sankaran is expected to chalk out a plan in a few weeks to redevelop the salt pan lands. On the other hand, MMRDA Commissioner T Chandrashekhar believes if TDR are not permitted, the state will have to shell out Rs 4,000 crore to make “a Shanghai out of Mumbai”.
“While use of such lands will free space occupied by slum dwellers, I do not think use of TDR will be a good idea as it will lead to overdevelopment in certain areas,’’ said Akshay Kumar, chairman of property consultants Colliers International.
