Mumbai: In a significant move, BMC has agreed in principle to relocate four major water mains running through its land at Sion in F-North administrative ward to facilitate a slum rehabilitation project for around 2,200 slum dwellers—effectively making way for a housing project by shifting critical water infrastructure to an adjoining portion of the site.The proposal, involving Panchsheel Cooperative Housing Society and its appointed developer Sejal Siddha Realtors LLP, marks a departure from the civic body’s earlier stand of not allowing its Hydraulic Engineer’s land to be used or relocated for development purposes.The land in question, at Salt Pan in F-North, is owned by BMC and measures around 36,716 sq m. It houses four major water mains—a 1,200-mm Old Tansa main, 1,200-mm New Tansa main, 800-mm Vihar main and 1,800-mm Mumbai-II main—which supply water to several parts of Mumbai.The proposal has been in the works for more than a decade. Earlier requests by the society and its previous developer to shift the water mains and use BMC land for redevelopment were rejected by the civic administration. The Hydraulic Engineer’s Department had maintained that relinquishing the land could affect its ability to operate and maintain the critical water infrastructure.The position changed following proceedings before Bombay High Court in connection with the rehabilitation of slum dwellers. The court directed BMC to consider the redevelopment proposal and stipulated that construction could not take place within 10 metres of the main water pipeline.Following the court’s directions, BMC held consultations with its engineering and planning departments, the developer and technical consultants, including IIT Bombay, to examine the feasibility of shifting the pipelines while ensuring that the city’s water supply was not affected.The proposal is particularly significant as the pipelines are not minor local lines but major mains supplying water to areas including Tilak Nagar, Sahakar Nagar, Kurla, Bhakti Park and parts of south and central Mumbai.BMC has now proposed that the water channels be shifted to the adjoining side of the site, following the technical solution recommended by its consultants, thereby freeing the balance portion for the rehabilitation project.
