Civic body has alleged that it cannot redevelop plots handed to it by the National Textile Corporation asu00a0 they are dotted with heritage structures

The BMC is fuming at the National Textile Corporation (NTC), which it claims has deviously handed over unusable land to the civic body, which the latter was to redevelop as a recreation ground.


The NTC had handed over the plots to the BMC in accordance
with the policy imposed by the Development Control Rule 58

The NTC had handed over land from the United Mills II and III at Byculla to the BMC in accordance with the policy imposed by the Development Control Rule 58, requiring mill-owners to turn in one-third of their land to the BMC.

The BMC bigwigs, however, have been alleging that the plots given to them are dotted with heritage structures, which cannot be demolished to make way for redevelopment.

The plots had been reserved under the Development Plan for a museum, a recreational ground and a park. The BMC's plans for a textile museum in the plots have also been in a state of limbo, owing to financial problems.

The mills would have been a valuable part of the display if the museum plans had materialised. But, in the present situation, the civic body can neither construct the museum, nor demolish the mills to redevelop the area into recreational space.

BMC's Standing Committee Chairman, Rahul Shewale said, "Of their 25 mills, they handed us a plot chock-a-block with heritage structures, which we cannot use at all.

"In a letter dated 6 May, 2006 the undersecretary of the state government, S R Keni, wrote to the NTC, ordering it not to demolish some of the heritage structures in its plots to preserve them for a proposed textile museum. We have no idea when this museum will come up."

Bhalchandra Shirsat, chairman of BMC's Improvements Committee said, "It looks like the NTC has fooled the BMC. The entire plot is reserved for use as a recreation ground, but 60 per cent of it consists of mills, which are heritage structures and cannot be touched."

'Give our land back'
He further added, "As a rule, a recreation ground has to be situated in an open space.

However, the NTC had handed over 61,000 square metres of its land to the BMC in 2009 on an advanced surrender basis, but discovered after calculations that only 44,000 square metres are due to the BMC. Ever since, the body has been demanding 17,000 square metres of its land back."

An official from the Development Plan department said, "The construction of the museum is a costly venture, and no one has come forward to pay for it. So the museum plans are still in limbo."

The plans for the museum, which is to showcase the city's textile heritage, include a monthly textile bazaar, an orientation centre, an auditorium, souvenir shops, commercial boutiques and restaurants.

The other half of the plot will be cleared of some structures to make way for a landscaped garden with a herbarium, dye plants, a natural pond and an artificially created water body, with a ramp for hosting fashion shows.

The Other Side
NTC chairman, Ramchandra Pillai, was unavailable for comment. Another official said, requesting anonymity, "The land was handed over to the BMC in 2009, so why are they raising objections now? They wanted to convert it into a textile museum. They should hand over the excess land that they were given mistakenly."

Development Control Rule 58
According to the rules, owners of non-operational mills in the city, who wish to sell their properties, must give one-third of the open space to the Maharashtra Housing And Development Authority for housing mill workers, and another third to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for redevelopment into recreational grounds.