Kamala Mill owners who openly flout rules go unpunished

Mumbai: The state government has not taken any action against private mill owners who had flouted provisions of Mill Redevelopment Policy and Section 58(3) of the Development Control Rules (DCR). As per the provisions, a mill owner should give a third of the share of buildable area to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for purposes related to recreational open spaces and a third to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) for housing. Only after these steps are followed can the owners develop the remaining plot of land.

Many mill owners have not given the BMC and Mhada their due, but created third party interests and sold the land instead. In a few cases, the mills are functional only on paper and their land is being used for commercial purposes, said sources.

The government had made a provision in the DCR and allowed the sale of mill land on certain conditions. An amendment was made in 2001 for the benefit of private mill owners, which allowed them to give a third of the share to BMC and Mhada with respect to buildable area of the mill instead of the whole plot. The BMC changed this provision when the new DP was finalised.

Several of the 58 private mills in the city have undergone modernisation or redevelopment. A few of them have not changed their exterior structure and are showing on paper that mill operations are still going on. But they have sold, rented out or leased out their premises to commercial establishments, corporate offices, pubs, bars and restaurants.

Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant has demanded that action be taken against mill owners who have not given the BMC and Mhada their share. “The government should take a review of all private mill land in the context of the Kamala Mills tragedy,” he said.