Dharavi Rehabilitation: Petition challenges Maharashtra’s infrastructure decision

Public interest litigation challenges transfer of salt pan lands for housing, citing damage to coastal ecosystem.

A public interest litigation has been filed in the Bombay High Court on Monday (October 7, 2024) challenging the transfer of salt pan lands to construct rental housing and slum rehabilitation under Dharavi Rehabilitation Project.  

Petitioner advocate Sagar Devre in the petition said this is done at the cost of destroying the fragile coastal ecosystem which has already been substantially damaged in the form of Backbay reclamation, BKC reclamation, Varsova reclamation, Trombay, Mankhurd, Vashi, Mahul, Sewri, and Mulund reclamations. 

The impugned government resolutions dated August 7, and September 30, whereby the State government has decided to transfer 255.9 acres of salt pan land from Centre to State for using it to construct the buildings to rehabilitate the encroachers, read the petition.  

The petitioner also challenges the impugned office memorandum issued on August 28, by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Government of India. The impugned office memorandum dated August 23, is the root cause of the entire ecosystem damaging chain, the petition mentioned.  

Mr. Devre said, “As per the Supreme Court’s order, it is mandatory to preserve and protect the said wetland. Salt pan lands are located between the high and low tide lines and are highly sensitive part of the ecosystem that includes mangroves, wetlands and estuaries. They also act as a natural buffer for the coastline. The salt pan lands are closely knitted with thick mangroves and act as natural buffer line that protects the island city from heavy rains floods during monsoon and tsunami. Ironically, by the impugned policy, the Government of India has decided to transfer the thousands of acres of salt pan land to the private developers for construction work and for their commercial exploitation. This is bound to destroy the entire coastal ecosystem causing an irreparable and imbalance ecosystem.”   

The petition is filed against the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and State of Maharashtra.