Lok Sabha elections 2024: Advocate questions BJP land allotment for Dharavi rehab

Advocate Sagar Devre. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

Is the Mumbai North East Lok Sabha BJP candidate Mihir Kotecha trying to mislead the population of the constituency? Advocate Sagar Devre, in a writ PIL, has challenged the final notification of the Maharashtra Government to grant salt-pan lands for creation of temporary shelters for Dharavi rehabilitation. He has also accused Mihir Kotecha for using the issue only for Lok Sabha Elections.

Sagar Devre, in an address to media, stated, "On one side, Mihir Kotecha had claimed that he had raised voice in the Vidhan Sabha against the granting of salt pan land and 41.6 acre of land for Dharavi Rehabilitation citing strain on resources. He and Kirit Somaya have raised concerns about the land being used for development where illegal Bangladeshi migrants would be given houses for living."

He added, "On the other hand, they have also claimed that they have a list of such illegal immigrants. My question to them is very simple, ‘if you have the list of such illegal immigrants, why haven't you provided it to the Mumbai police and the State Home ministry so that action could be taken against them?"

He has also accused the government of passing the final notification of land allotment without taking the residents' of Mulund in confidence. "The chief secretary of the state had written to the centre for granting the land to the state government for Dharavi rehabilitation. If the government really opposed the rehabilitation project, why did the chief secretary of the state write a letter in the first place? Mihir Kotecha is opposing this in his campaign, but the same government, which he is a part of, passes a notification."

"These are tactics by the BJP candidates to ask for votes from the constituency. But now, the people of the constituency have come to know about these tactics and they will make sure they vote wisely," he added. Calls and messages sent to Mihir Kotecha regarding these allegations went unanswered till the time of going to press.

What is the issue at hand

>> The state government plans to rehabilitate Dharavi residents at the entry point of Mumbai city while the BMC plans to rehabilitate around 8,000 project-affected families in Mulund East.

>> The BMC has decided to develop a housing colony for around 7,000 project-affected families also known as project affiliated people (PAP) in Mulund. The state housing department had written a letter to BMC authorities asking to hand over 64 acres of land located in Mulund East to the Dharavi Redevelopment Authority (DRA). The DRA will develop a rental housing colony for residents of Dharavi who are not eligible for redevelopment. A total of 18 acres of land comes under the octroi naka while the remainder is part of the dumping ground which is now closed.

>> The state government housing department had written to the civic chief on January 10 asking for 64 acres of land located at Mulund to be handed over to the DRA to develop rental housing for the rehabilitation of Dharavi families not eligible for the Dharavi Rehabilitation Project at Dharavi. The letter also cited a state cabinet decision in October 2022 in this regard.

>> The civic body has decided to hand over two plots amounting to a total of 64 acres to the state government for the rehab project. The residents of Mulund East have been opposing the rehabilitation projects. The residents wrote emails, protested, and even met Chief Minister Ekanath Shinde.