MMRDA to replicate Cidco’s and MIDC’s land acquisition framework for Third Mumbai

Given the scale of the project, which will impact 124 villages across Uran, Panvel and Pen talukas of Raigad district, the authorities have opted to replicate existing and proven land acquisition models in the neighbouring Navi Mumbai

Mumbai: As the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) moves ahead with plans to develop Third Mumbai, also known as the Karnala-Sai-Chirner (KSC) New Town, its biggest challenge is in acquiring 323.44 sq km of land amid mounting opposition from local residents.

Navi Mumbai, India - March 3, 2023:Parking beneath high tension wire line by CIDCO bhavan at CBD Belapur in Navi Mumbai, India, on Friday, March 3, 2023. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

Given the scale of the project, which will impact 124 villages across Uran, Panvel and Pen talukas of Raigad district, the authorities have opted to replicate existing and proven land acquisition models in the neighbourhood—Navi Mumbai—rather than devise a new one. These villages would be urbanised to become KSC New Town, officials said.

“Instead of drafting a new land acquisition framework, we plan to replicate or rather extend the successful policies already in place by other government organisations,” a bureaucrat told Hindustan Times. These policies or schemes would be borrowed from the City and Industrial Development Corporation Limited (Cidco) and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), the official added.

Cidco currently has two rehabilitation frameworks for Project Affected Persons (PAPs). Under the first framework, under implementation since 1994, 12.5% of land acquired from PAPs is returned to them as developed land. Of this, 30% is reserved for public utilities and social infrastructure, resulting in a net allotment of 8.75%. The allotted plots have a 1.5 Floor Space Index (FSI) and 15% commercial component, which PAPs can develop independently or through developers.

A second framework, implemented since 2014 for the Navi Mumbai International Airport project, offers 22.5% of developed land to PAPs. These rehabilitation zones are provided with essential amenities such as schools, community centres, health facilities, administrative offices, markets, parking, religious places and crematoriums.

These two frameworks are likely to be offered to residents of the proposed KSC New Town for residential purposes. For commercial and industrial development, MMRDA plans to follow MIDC’s approach.

MIDC typically acquires land for industrial and commercial projects through compensation packages that include a share of developed plots. PAPs are allotted 15% of acquired land in industrial areas and 5% in commercial zones. “If there is a successful way out, there shouldn’t be a need to experiment,” the bureaucrat quoted earlier said, adding that formal approval for adopting these frameworks is awaited.

In the coming weeks, the Maharashtra government and MMRDA are expected to set up a new entity dedicated to developing KSC New Town. Its structure will likely be similar to that of MMRDA and its subsidiary, the Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Ltd (MMMOCL).

On October 15, the state government officially appointed MMRDA as the New Town Development Authority (NTDA) for KSC New Town. According to the notification, 80 of the 124 villages fall under the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA), 33 are within the Khopta New Town Notified Area, two are part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Plan, and nine fall under the Raigad Regional Plan. The notification also revoked Cidco’s status as the Special Planning Authority for the 113 villages under NAINA and Khopta New Town Notified Area.

The development authority has begun preliminary studies through consultants, including LiDAR and aerial surveys, land ownership verification, and GIS mapping. These will feed into a comprehensive vision document and master plan outlining development strategies for KSC New Town.

However, the plan has faced stiff resistance. Farmers and villagers from the affected areas have formed the MMRDA KSC Navnagar Virodhi Shetkari Samiti Raigad, launching a protest movement earlier this year against land acquisition.

The KSC New Town project forms a key part of Maharashtra’s broader roadmap to boost the Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s GDP to $300 billion within five years, aligned with government think tank NITI Aayog’s master plan to transform this part of India.