MUMBAI: The state government has cleared the transfer of additional land for the proposed Worli Sewage Treatment Project (STP).The development came about a fortnight after municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide wrote to the state government calling the STP expansion a “vital public purpose project”.She requested the state government to amend its earlier order to reflect the revised land requirement.In a communication dated May 6, the state housing department informed the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) and the BMC that it had agreed to hand over 27,967 sq m of land for the project-significantly higher than the earlier earmarked 17,756.40 sq m.The government order, titled ‘Regarding the rehabilitation project of Jijamata Nagar and other cooperative housing societies in Worli, Mumbai, under Section 3K of the Maharashtra Slums Act, 1971’, states that the Bombay high court has directed the BMC to submit a proposal to the government regarding the land required for the Worli Sewage Treatment Project by April 20.The court directed the government to take appropriate action on the proposal and communicate its stand to the court.“The government has agreed to transfer an area of 27,967.00 sq m for the said project. However, while planning the overall development, the responsibility of rehabilitating eligible slum dwellers at the same location shall remain with the BMC,” states the order while placing the onus of rehabilitating eligible slum-dwellers on the BMC.Additional municipal commissioner Ashwini Joshi confirmed the clearance by the state and said it would now be informed to the court.
