Prithviraj Chavan mulls unlocking saltpan land

The state government is planning to reconsider development of 2,177 hectares of salt pan land in Mumbai.

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday indicated that saltpan land, which is under Centre’s control, needs to be explored to strengthen its land bank as affordable housing projects could come up there.

But, the state government reckons that Centre-state will have to come to a consensus on land-sharing as it has been a bone of contention for the last three decades. “The big question is how much of the 2,177 hectares will be made available for the government. Almost 460 hectares of saltpan land have been illegally encroached upon. They are under litigations,” said a senior housing department official.

Individuals who hold saltpan land on lease will also claim their rights to the land and demand compensation.

The more complex issue is the non-clarity on land holding under the Centre and state. The state government’s proposal to resolve the dispute by agreeing to equal sharing of land was rejected. by the Centre. The core committee in Delhi  could not make any progress as there were many claimants within the Centre for the land holding such as the Bombay Port Trust, Indian Railways and  defence.

Sources in Mantralaya said: “We are not sure how the Chavan government wants to redevelop the land. There are two options. One to rope in private players, who will build the houses and hand them over to government to rehabilitate PAPs free of cost. In exchange, the government will give them incentives such as extra FSI. Another option is that the Centre and state together develop saltpan land and share the profit.”