`Cancel salt pan lease to house slumdwellers'

MUMBAI: The Union government wants to cancel the lease deeds of all salt pan owners in Mumbai and surrounding areas so that around 5,500 acres of land can be released for housing slumdwellers in the city.
The topic came up when the Group of Ministers (GoM) was clearing 3.26 hectares of salt pan land for the eastern freeway project. Sources said that while allowing the use of salt pan land, the GoM held that all the existing leases should be cancelled and the ownerships should be with the government.
A senior state government official said, "The MMRDA is constructing a 11.93 km road from P D'Mello Road to Anik and we needed a 3.26 hectares for a 700-metre stretch. The leases of Hormuz and Datkhudai had expired in 1962, but they got an injunction from the Bombay high court, barring us from taking over. We went to the Union government which owns the land.''
Housing expert Chandrashekhar Prabhu said, "Terminating the lease is within the government's right if the salt pan owners are not using the land for the purpose."
However, environmentalist Debi Goenka said, "Salt pans fall under the CRZ -1 category, where no development is allowed.''
Principal secretary (urban development department) T C Benjamin said that the state has asked for 43 acres in Malwani and Dahisar owned by the Central Public Works Department to rehabilitate project affected persons. Though the GoM did not decide on this, they seemed positive about the project.