NITI Aayog urges Centre to develop Port expanse, do slum rehab on rlys, AAI land

Mumbai: The NITI Aayog report on Developing MMR as a Global Economic Hub has highlighted the need to develop 253 hectares of land under the Mumbai Port Trust (MPT), with the Centre playing a facilitator. It also calls for rehabilitation of shanty settlements on land owned by other central govt entities such as Airport Authority of India (AAI), ministry of defence and railways to rid the city of slums.The report says global hubs like London (Canary Wharf) and Shanghai (Bund) have successfully transformed their under-utilised urban ports and harbours into the world's finest business districts. "The 253 hectares of land under the Mumbai Port Trust presents an untapped opportunity to revitalise Mumbai's core city...open up this prime area for high-end services, housing, green spaces, cruise tourism, recreation and high-end entertainment," it says.Indeed, at the report's launch on Thursday, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the MPT land would be developed as the "fifth Mumbai".The report says the Centre needs to take steps to facilitate redevelopment of MPT land through mixed use by providing approval for the redevelopment master plan, facilitating existing lease renewals and deciding on an optimum implementation structure through a partnership between the Port Trust and the state.Besides asking for the Centre's involvement in boosting international flight connections to MMR, the report asks for its assistance in boosting the region's ease of doing business. It says Central govt support is needed in clearing bottlenecks like the existing AAI height clearance rule and MoEF approval and, "also to selectively release AAI, Defence and Indian Railways owned land for economic growth of MMR."The report also calls for rehabilitation of slum households on Central govt lands in MMR. Nearly two lakh slum households in MMR are located on central govt land owned by agencies like railways, AAI, MPT and Defence. Hence, they do not come under the state's Slum Rehabilitation schemes. "They need an unlock by the Central Government through the creation of a policy in line with the Prime Minister's "Housing for All" scheme," the report says.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Valentine's day wishes, messages and quotes !