Residents of Kurla have planned to gather for a protest on January 23 when the state government will conduct a ‘land measurement’ at the defunct Kurla dairy land intended to be used for housing displaced persons.
The plot, estimated to be around 21 acres, is now mostly wooded, the government-operated dairy on the site shut down more than a decade ago. However, Kurla residents do not want displaced persons from other areas to be housed in the land and want the plot to be preserved as a green space.
The dairy, reported to have been established in 1974, shut down some 17 years ago. Part of the plot has residential quarters for government employees and sections have been used for building a viaduct for the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road and the Kurla (East) station for Metro 2B. The unused areas have grown into a woodland with over 1000 trees.
Kurla dairy land | Manoj Ramakrishnan
Kurla dairy land | Manoj Ramakrishnan
Kurla dairy land | Manoj Ramakrishnan
In June 2024, the Maharashtra government issued a Government Resolution, handing over the land from the dairy to the revenue department. The plot was identified as one of the sites, apart from land in Mulund, Wadala, and other localities in the city, to house displaced residents. There has been no development until last week when residents of buildings in the vicinity of the dairy plot received notices about the landmarking exercise on January 23.
Nitin Kamble of Lok Chalwal, a citizens’ group, said, “We thought the plans to acquire the plot had been canceled. We were shocked by the notice. We tried to gather for a protest on Sunday but were stopped by police.”
Residents have planned to gather at the site on Thursday morning and have asked political parties opposed to the plans to join them. “The redevelopment of buildings in Kurla has destroyed all the remaining open spaces. Old buildings with 40 flats are replaced with structures with more than 140 residents. The open space between buildings has disappeared. Bringing more than 30,000 displaced residents will add to the traffic problems. Children have no place to play and no recreational spaces in the area,” added Kamble. “We want the dairy plot to be preserved as a green space. Pollution is choking Mumbai and we cannot destroy the remaining green areas.”
Member of Parliament from Mumbai North Central, Varsha Gaikwad, said she would join the protestors. “We are talking about the air pollution Mumbai is facing. Kurla has no gardens and green spaces but the government wants to give away the land for more construction. We are opposing the plans to use the land for buildings. The land belongs to the people of Kurla and the people of Mumbai. They want it to be preserved as a green space,” said Gaikwad.
