Maharashtra
,
Navi Mumbai
,
Navi Mumbai
Published :
Mar 2023
|
Updated :
Navi Mumbai Development Plan invisibilises the existence of slums, creating fear of displacements
Reported by
Shubham Kothari
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Edited by
Anupa Kujur
Households affected
208236
People affected
2018
Year started
10900
ha.
Land area affected
Households affected
208236
People Affected
2018
Year started
10900
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Urban Development (Other than Smart Cities)
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Urban
Ended
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Urban Development (Other than Smart Cities)
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Urban
Ended
1
Summary

In August 2022, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) released its draft development plan (DP) for the period 2018-2038. This included maps of existing and proposed land use of the area.

The proposed land use plan is being opposed by different groups of Mumbai residents on several grounds. One of which is that the DP invisibilises informal settlements or 'slums' and instead proposes the construction of various other civic amenities over the lands where slums exist currently. The plan also ignores the needs of street vendors who work in the area and does not mention hawking zones anywhere. This goes against the mandate of the Street Vendors Act, 2014 (Protection of livelihood and regulation of street vending act). According to which a minimum amount of land needs to be provided for street vending zones in proportion to the total population of the area. The plan has not recognised any of the natural markets for street vending as vending zone and has neither created sufficient provision for construction of vending markets.

Activists have also objected to the proposed plan citing environmental concerns. They are concerned about the impact the development plan would have on biodiversity. LCW spoke with Dulari Parmar, an architect who works with Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action, a civil society organisation based in Mumbai. She heads their work on climate justice. She said, "Although Navi Mumbai glorifies itself as a flamingo city, but the proposed DP in fact poses threats to these and other flora fauna. Large parcels of Reserved Forest land in Belapur node have been converted into other land use categories."

On 28th October a rally was taken to the NMMC head office by nearly a 1000 individuals, including residents of the slums and street vendors. The protest was organised by Ghar Haq Sangarsh Samiti and YUVA.

Further, some of the slums even though lie within the NMMC's jurisdiction, are located on lands owned by City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (CIDCO) or Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). This leads to contestation between these authorities about how the land should be used, and the continuous growth of 'unauthorised' settlements.

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Opposition against environmental degradation

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand to be recognised as slums under the proposed development Plan

Region Classification

Urban

Type of Land

Common

Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)

Status of Project

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Residential area

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

Type of investment:

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

No

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

4
Additional Information

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, City and Industrial Development Corporation

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Yes

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

5
Information on the use of criminal law

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Legal Supporting Documents

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Author
Reported by
Shubham Kothari

Shubham is a housing rights activist based in Mumbai. He has a post graduate from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai in urban policy and governance.

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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Opposition against environmental degradation

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Status of Project

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Residential area

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

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