Mumbai Realty & Salt Pans

In the city of Mumbai and surrounding areas now known as Mumbai Metropolitan area, as per recent reports there are almost 1.20 lakhs housing units(popularly known as flats) are lying vacant and  more than 90% of these units are unsold to any home buyers. the main reason being these flats remaining unsold are the high prices demanded by the builders/Developers of the projects. In the city of Mumbai(within municipal limits ) even a 1 BHK (One Badroom, Hall, Kitchen) flat is costing any where between Rs 50 lakhs to Rs 2 cr ( depending on the location), and still  almost every day you see full page ads in leading newspapers regarding announcement of new projects or announcing lucrative schemes for the prospective home buyers, but still real estate market is not picking up the business. New home buyers hesitate to invest in any new projects, because they are not sure whether the project will be completed in specified period. Similar is the case of commercial or office units, in most of the new construction the units are remaining unsold. In the last few years, the trend has started to take commercial/office units on long lease from the investors or directly from the developers, the reason being the high price of commercial units and              uncertainty in the business.

In today’s newspaper, there is one news which is quite disturbing and that is- new survey could open up Mumbai’s salt pans for development. For non Mumbaikars let me explain what is salt pans- salts pans are wet land areas touching sea coast, where sea water is collected for salt making. The earlier survey which was done in 2016 found that only 25 acres could be freed for development. The latest survey indicates that approx 5400 acres  of salt pans area could be considered for development. And how this has happened – with Union Environment Ministry saying that only contiguous land over 1000 acres can only be classified as Wet Land. In Mumbai each salt pan parcel is about 400-500 acres.

Now let us go back little, in 2015 CM of Maharashtra gave a statement that 600 acres of salt pans  could be used to build affordable  housing projects. but 2016 survey by MMRDA(Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority) pointed out only 25 acres from Salt pans can be used for development. The survey also found that most of the salt pans can not be used for development as they are wet land, and unless the Central Ministry changes the rules , then only construction can be allowed.

Environmentalists say not withstanding the Environment Ministry to open up salt pans area for development, these areas are still protected by existing Coastal regulatory Zone. Salt pans are still categorised as CRZ1 as per 2011 CRZ notification. Since salts pans fall within high tide and low tide line, there can not be any construction activity in  that area. Environmentalists further add that salt pans acts as natural buffer along Mumbai’s coastline and are part of contiguous ecosystem that includes estuaries, wet lands and mangroves. These areas are free of human population and are the last few tracts of open space and clean air available in and around the city of Mumbai. Private salt works  and these wet lands are in existence prior to even Marathas and Portugese times in the state , earlier known as Bombay and Salsette islands.

The salt pans areas are spread over parts  of Ghatkopar, Chembur, Trombay, Turbhe, Anik, Wadala , Kanjurmarg, Bhandup, Nahur and Mulund in Eastern Suburbs, and in Western Suburbs these areas are spread over Malvani, Dahisar, Mira-Bhayander and Virar. Salt production was stopped at most of the places a decade back. But these salt pans areas are some of the last remaining open spaces in the city, these areas also now act as rain water sinks and hence acts as safeguard against the floods and lastly they harbour the migratory birds and other animal life.

My contention is Govt has enough spare lands to build affordable homes for the weaker section of the society. Secondly why govt is not giving incentives  to developers for building affordable houses , and even for slum redevelopment govt policy is not clear, developers do not know what incentives they are going to get- like how much additional FSI they are going to get, so that they can sell the free area in the open market to cover  their expenses and profits. Development of Salt Pans is not the answer for making affordable housing, and in the process which  destroys the eco balance of the city.

What you say my friends.

Waiting for your feed backs/comments/views.