Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the Assembly on Thursday that no construction will be carried out in the Mahim Nature Park (MNP) as part of the Dharavi redevelopment scheme.
“There will be no construction in the MNP. The park is close to Dharavi and hence it was shown in the Development Regulatory Plan. However, it will remain untouched,” Mr. Fadnavis said.
On Wednesday, Yuva Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray visited the park and came down on the BJP government. “It is not correct to destroy the forest. We need breathing space in Mumbai,” Mr. Thackeray said.
Later, he tweeted, “I request the Govt to have someone who loves Mumbai, understands Mumbai to depute for planning. Don’t monetise our city’s green spaces. The attempt to let builders build inside Mahim Nature Park is disgraceful. Must withdraw it immediately.”
Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar had also opposed the inclusion of the MNP in the redevelopment plan. He said that he had written to the SRA to return the forest land and not to go for any redevelopment.
D. Stalin of Vanshakti, an NGO working in the field of environment conservation, said the government’s actual plan was to include 17 acres of land in the redevelopment plan so that the net constructable area for the builder could go up. “Thousands of crores of rupees stand to be made by simply including it in the SRA project. The park would never see any construction, but gradually vanish. We must be be aware of the builders-govt. nexus,” he said.
