Mumbai

After Mumbai, it is the turn of Navi Mumbai to lose its designated green spaces. The state recently dereserved 78 hectares of a Regional Park Zone (RPZ) for an industrial zone. The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) that is responsible for the development of the RPZ had sought the government’s sanction under Section 37 of the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act to dereserve the area for an industrial zone.

According to Cidco officials, the RPZ was a designated green zone. “It is spread over Panvel and Uran. We are still in the process of acquiring land for the SEZ and the RPZ. As all proposed land is yet to be acquired, we have had to dereserve a part of what has been got for the industrial zone,” said M D Lele, chief planner, Cidco.

Lele said he was not aware of the total land that had been acquired till date. Cidco officials said, the land has been dereserved for an electronics industry that is being set up by Videocon. The dereserved land is located near the Mumbai-Pune highway. The Government Resolution states that dereservation has been sanctioned after making necessary inquiries and in consultation with the director of town planning.

The Government of India (GoI) gave its approval in May 2000 for setting up an SEZ in Navi Mumbai and asked the Maharashtra government to fulfil the criteria laid down in the EXIM policy. The state prepared a detailed policy directive about the various incentives applicable to SEZs set up in Maharashtra. The GoI granted formal approval to the project in 2002. The state then appointed Cidco as the nodal agency for implementing the Navi Mumbai SEZ project. A task force was created within Cidco to implement the SEZ project in January 2001.

Cidco officials said, the RPZ is being developed along with the Navi Mumbai Special Economic Zone on a total of 4,377 hectares. Of this, 1,850 hectares will constitute the RPZ that is meant for low-intensity development such as housing, open spaces and entertainment facilities. The remaining 2,527 hectares were delineated for industrial activity.

Cidco had also sought deresevation of another 410 hectares of the RPZ for the industrial zone. The proposal has been put on the back-burner as Cidco has been asked to submit certain documents relating to the public hearing held for the dereservation of the land, said urban development officials.

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