Overview
- Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad accused the state government and BMC of bending planning and environmental norms to benefit a builder on an 8.71 lakh sq ft Malad East plot near SGNP.
- She cited a May 12, 2023 order that reclassified the NDZ land to residential and reserved it for police housing, followed by a June 20, 2023 BMC tender in which DB Realty (now Valor Estate) bid to build 13,347 PAP units in exchange for TDRs and credit notes.
- Gaikwad alleged cost inflation and premature benefits, noting a BMC estimate of Rs 32.21 lakh per unit (ex-GST) versus a Rs 58.18 lakh quote (incl. GST) plus a Rs 44 lakh viability gap, credit notes worth Rs 948.24 crore, and 10.44 lakh sq ft handed over despite no construction.
- She also said the Urban Development Department allowed simultaneous development on August 17, 2023 despite rules requiring police housing first, and claimed eco-sensitive protections and National Board for Wildlife and Supreme Court directives were breached.
- A senior BMC official said only the Urban Development Department changes land use and a UDD official called such changes not unusual, while the developer said the project was competitively tendered for public purposes and noted a BMC Letter of Acceptance on October 11, 2024 for approximately 13,374 PAP/affordable units.