Mukesh Mills can be developed, rules HC

The tide has turned for the long-defunct Mukesh Mills located next to INS Shikra, the naval air station at Colaba.

The Bombay high court, in an interim order, has lifted the stay on the development of 10-acre prim plot stating that the mill does not require a no-objection certificate from the Indian Navy, as was being contested by the central government.

Owned by the Bangalore-based Agarwal family, the mill was shut after the 1982 textile mill strike.  The court passed the order in a suit between the Agarwals and the Union ministry of defence. The ministry had challenged Agrawals’ ownership rights and refused to allow its sale citing security hazards to the defence installation.

Vikas Agrawal, the mill owner, said he is not keen to sell the property, which could have fetched him over Rs600 crore before the property market crash. Agarwal had submitted plans to construct residential and commercial buildings four years ago before the move got stalled in the courts.

Senior defence officials, however, maintain that the land belongs to the Navy. “It was requisitioned by the city collector in 1943 under rule 73 (A) of Defence of India rules. It was leased to Colaba Land and Mill Company in 1974 with a condition that it cannot be sub-leased without prior approval of the Centre.

The lease agreement was violated and the property was given to Colaba Textile Pvt Ltd, and a part of the land was subsequently given to Transport Corporation of India, controlled by the Agarwals,” he added.