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Malwani residents oppose construction on ancestral land earmarked as NDZ by BMC

Residents claimed that the civic body has overlooked the presence of the 1,000-acre-plus gaothan land and has systematically eluded them from urbanisation.

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Demanding an immediate revision of Development Plan (DP) 2034, Malwani residents have opposed the proposal to create affordable housing on land earmarked as developable No-Development Zone (NDZ) by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Residents claimed that the civic body has overlooked the presence of the 1,000-acre-plus gaothan land and has systematically eluded them from urbanisation.

According to provisions to be introduced in the revised draft of Development Control Regulations, all reservations on NDZ lands are to be deleted, unlocking these areas for development. The NDZ land is to be brought under an affordable housing and amenity policy through which construction will be allowed on such land only for residential purpose. One-third of every NDZ plot will be open for residential construction, especially for affordable housing, the rest to be given up for amenities and open spaces.

The locals, including kolis, under the aegis of the Citizen Council for Social Civic Services (CCSCS), who found over 50 errors in the mapping of BMC's Existing Land Use (ELU) survey in the area alone, are calling it a "backdoor" entry to private builders to encroach on their land.

"The DP is overlooking the Coastal Regulation Zone notification of 2011 on gaothans and koliwadas. A major error is that open plots near the gaothans are not marked as village settlements but as NDZs. This is bound to attract the builders' lobby. If the DP moves on, and unfortunately people like us fail to notice this, and is approved, it will be a flawed one," said local corporator Ajit Bhandari, while addressing a presser on Monday evening.

He added that the ELU survey even fails to map formal and informal markets, where people of the gaothan sell their local produce and fishes.

Member of CCSCS Mahesh Koli pointed out other major errors that have emerged from the DP. Brandishing the DP map, the Shiv Sena corporator said the land parcels being used by the fishing community are been tagged as "vacant" or reserved under some other use. However, these plots are used by the koli community and others for fishing-related activities, such as fish drying, net drying, place for keeping boats, sheds for maintenance and farming.

"In all cases, the DP does not accurately map activities on the ground, thus giving a false picture of land parcels being vacant or not developed, which in reality has got deep socio-economic linkages with gaothans and the local community," said Koli.

Residents have threatened to stage an agitation against the BMC in a bid to compel it to revise the DP and allow the ancestral plots to be with them.

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