Mumbai: Varsha Gaikwad supports the green bid from Kurla locals

Varsha Gaikwad, the sitting Dharavi MLA and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate for the Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat, supported the citizens of Nehru Nagar in Kurla East who launched a citizen movement on Thursday, calling for the preservation of green space and the preservation of the old Kurla government milk dairy land for a garden and recreation area. In February 2024, Midday brought attention to the subject of Kurla residents initiating a citizen movement via the creation of a WhatsApp group, a door-to-door campaign, and a signature drive. The topic took off right away, as shown by the group’s 800 members in only one week.

The 10.4-hectare plot of land in Nehru Nagar, Kurla, which was once home to the government milk dairy, has been fallow for over ten years. The site is positioned ideally, wedged between the suburban railway network’s Harbour Line, LTT Kurla Terminus, Mumbai Metro Yellow Line 2B, and Santacruz Chembur Link Road. During a December 2023 MMRDA meeting, state government representatives announced that MMRDA was designated as the special planning authority for the dairy land development in Kurla and Worli by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. According to sources, MMRDA plans to establish a mixed-use mini-BKC development plan at the site that will include residential and commercial buildings in order to monetize the property and fund infrastructure improvements.

This corrupt administration, like to avaricious “Pac-Man,” is out to devour every square inch of Mumbai’s public open space. It now seeks to utilize a 10.4-hectare plot of lush land in Kurla East’s Nehru Nagar—previously occupied by the Mother Dairy—for commercial purposes. With 800-900 priceless trees, the area is lush, green, and environmentally sensitive. To appease a company connected to a prominent BJP figure, the government want to destroy these trees and develop the area into a commercial complex. MMRDA has already been designated by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the Special Planning Authority (SPA) responsible for the monetization of this environmentally vulnerable area. However, the watchful people of Nehru Nagar are resolved to thwart this dishonest proposal. To oppose this land grab, they have started a passionate nationwide citizens’ movement called Lok Chalwal, according to Gaikwad.

A group from Lok Chalwal met with Gaikwad on Wednesday, according to her, and they brought a memorandum of demands. “On Thursday, I went with them to the location and gave them my word that my party and I would fight with them in this battle. We will foil the government’s evil scheme together. The Congress party and the people of Nehru Nagar urge that the proposal to monetarize the property be withdrawn in its entirety. The land should be set aside in the Development Plan for a public garden, and the SPA designation that was given to the MMRDA should be revoked. We’re going to keep fighting until justice is served! She continued. Kiran Pailwan and Jitendra Kamble, two locals, estimate that the area now has between 800 and 900 trees on it. “We will lose all of the tree cover if the mini-BKC project is implemented, and we will also find a crowded neighborhood with 25–30% more people in the future.”