Maharashtra government to transfer Kurla land parcel to DRPPL, Congress opposes

Mumbai Congress President criticizes Maharashtra government for transferring prime land to Adani, betraying Kurla residents' trust.

After the Maharashtra Cabinet approved the transfer of an 8.05-hectare Mother Dairy land parcel in Kurla to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Private Limited (DRPPL) on Tuesday, Mumbai Congress President MP Varsha Gaikwad slammed the Mahayuti-led government for betraying the residents of Kurla (a suburb in Mumbai). 

When Shiv Sena Chief Eknath Shinde was the Chief Minister, the local MLA of his party had announced that he would not allow the transfer of the Mother Dairy site to Adani, now what happened? This is a betrayal of locals’ trust in government,” stated Ms. Gaikwad, adding that the protest will intensify now.  

In the Cabinet meeting chaired by CM Devendra Fadnavis, amendments to the agreement for transferring 8.5 hectares of land owned by the Dairy Development Department were approved. The Adani group is likely to use this land for the relocation of residents of Dharavi. Kurla Dairy is among the three dairies of Mumbai, where milk production stopped over the years, and the land was made available for other projects. For instance, Aarey Dairy was used for the Metro carshed, while Worli Dairy has been used for the convention centre. The state government has also approved the master plan of the Dharavi redevelopment project, including rehabilitation of Dharavi residents in the Deonar Dumping Ground. 

Ms. Gaikwad raised questions about the government handing over this land to Adani when the Dharavi residents will be rehabilitated in Dharavi itself. “The Kurla site is important given its prime location and ecology. Despite locals demanding to build a park on this site, the BJP government has given this site to Adani. The government is flouting all the rules and regulations for Adani,” Ms. Gaikwad said.