Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Sep 15: The now-defunct Mulund dumping ground has become the focus of a three-way tussle, with competing demands from political parties and a major redevelopment body eyeing its 42-acre land parcel.

While BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha has proposed a golf course, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Milind Narvekar is pushing for a cancer or eye hospital. Now, Navbharat Mega Developers Pvt Ltd (NMDPL) — the firm spearheading the Dharavi Redevelopment Project — has entered the fray, requesting 15 acres on lease for 10 years to set up a casting yard and precast/RMC plants crucial for the construction phase of the massive urban renewal initiative.

In a letter addressed to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), NMDPL emphasized the strategic importance of the Mulund site, stating that proximity to the road and availability of vacant land make it ideal for building out key infrastructure to support Dharavi's redevelopment.

“This land is critical for the successful execution of work at Jamasp, Arthur, and Jenkins salt pan lands. A 10-year lease would allow us to establish necessary facilities for constructing rehabilitation components,” the company noted.

Meanwhile, Milind Narvekar has reiterated his plea for a state-of-the-art cancer or eye hospital on the site, highlighting the shortage of specialised healthcare in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs. In his letter to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Narvekar said:

“I had proposed a world-class hospital on PPP model in January. Despite DRP already receiving 124.3 acres in Deonar, at least five acres in Mulund should be reserved for a hospital. The pressure on existing hospitals like Tata, KEM, Nair, and Sion is increasing daily.”

Narvekar stressed that a dedicated facility in Mulund would benefit residents across the eastern suburbs who currently struggle with long travel times and overcrowded public hospitals.

Earlier in April, BJP’s Kotecha had floated the idea of developing a golf course on the same land. Fadnavis had then directed the BMC to conduct a feasibility study to explore the potential of such a recreational project on the old dumping ground.

The Mulund dumping ground, the second-largest refuse site in the city, was shut in 2018 and is now undergoing scientific closure. Used since 1967, it holds over 7 million cubic metres of waste, forming mounds up to 30 metres high, spread across 24 hectares.

As the site awaits final reclamation and reuse, the BMC now finds itself in the middle of competing priorities — healthcare, recreation, and housing infrastructure — each with its own socio-political and logistical implications. A decision on allocation is likely to spark further debate, as land in Mumbai remains a highly contested and valuable resource.