Mumbai: BMC to exchange plot for Mahul pumping station land

The Mahul pumping station is part of BMC’s plan for eight such stations after the July 26, 2005 deluge. Representation pic/Ashish Raje

Work on the much-delayed pumping station at Mahul creek will start soon, as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has chosen a new plot for it. The new site is private land and the BMC will exchange one of its plots for the land. The pumping station is essential to reduce flooding in Dadar, Sion, Wadala, Matunga and Kings Circle, and it also affects the Harbour line services.

The BMC had been trying to procure land from the salt commissioner for the same for years but hasn't received any letter about the same from the central agency. BMC started acting on the BRIMSTOWAD plan after the July 26, 2005 monsoon disaster. The first two stations were built at Irla and Haji Ali in 2010. The constriction of the sixth station started at Gazdarbandh in 2019. The BMC finalised the contractor for the seventh, Mogra station in March 2021 but the final station at Mahul, was still on paper due to delayed land acquisition.

‘No response from 2015'

"We started communicating with the Salt Pan Division in 2015 and the last letter was sent on June 10, 2021," said an officer from the BMC. Now the BMC has finalised a plot which belongs to M/s Ajmera Realty and Infrastructure India Ltd. There will be an MoU with the owner of the plot and TDR will be transferred after the nod from the state government, said officials. "The land is spread across 15,006 square metres. The BMC will exchange one of its lands of 13,390 sq metres and allot TDR of remaining 1616 sq. metres of land to the owner.

The land is under Coastal Regulation Zone, but it is permissible to build a storm water drain in CRZ and it will be easy to get environmental clearance," said a BMC official. He added that the new land is more convenient as it is adjacent to a nullah and does not require another storm water drainage. The width of Mahul creek will increase to 56 metres. The proposal for the pumping station will be tabled in the improvement committee meeting on Tuesday.

15,006
Area of the plot in sq mtrs