Housing on saltpan land faces hurdles

The state government’s plan to construct affordable housing on saltpan land is likely to face hurdles when it comes to acquiring saltpan land, a study conducted by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has revealed.

The ongoing study by the MMRDA, which was directed by the state urban development department to prepare a plan for construction of affordable housing on saltpan land in the city, has indicated that 75 per cent out of the total 2,177 hectares (5,379 acres) cannot be used due to Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) guidelines, which will create much obstruction when it comes to acquiring saltpan land.

“The study will be concluded by the end of this month and whatever has been observed by us till now, that construction on saltpan land is not a good idea. Firstly, we doubt that state can use more than 500 hectare of land for construction. Secondly, the land parcels are available in pieces, which again is not a feasible option. One needs to utilise the Floor Space Index (FSI) to its fullest in a city like Mumbai. Developers could face problems in FSI utilisation considering the land being available in smaller pieces,” an MMRDA official said.

The study is being carried out on 2,177 hectares of saltpans land lying vacant in the city. MMRDA officials are also of the opinion that another reason that saltpan lands are not a good idea is because the ownership titles of various saltpan lands are under litigation. Besides, there is also encroachment on many saltpan lands.

“Considering all such factors we are preparing the report accordingly. There is not much to explore for the state government to construct house on saltpan land,” the MMRDA official added.

The state government has total of 4,856 hectares of saltpan land lying vacant, out of which the city has about 2,177 hectares of vacant saltpan land. The study carried out by the MMRDA includes Dahisar, Goregaon, Mulund, Bhandup, Kanjurmarg, Nahur, Ghatkopar, Turbhe, Mandale, Chembur, Wadala and Anik Depot, Malvani, Pahadi, Turbhe, Mandale areas that have saltpans.