Mumbai:Salt pan land solution?

THE Centre has advised the Maharashtra government to go for out-of-court settlement to unlock 1,852 acres of salt pan land in Mumbai. On May 29, the Group of Ministers (GoM) examining the salt pan land issue discussed with the state government various measures being taken to free the salt pan land in Mumbai. The GoM also asked the state government to distribute the salt pan land between the Centre, the state government and the salt pan owners. The state wants to utilise its portion of land to rehabilitate all project affected people in Mumbai. Currently, the GoM, chaired by the Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, is working on various plans to find how best to use around 5,378 acres of land in the city and suburbs. The Centre had asked for suggestions and solutions from the state government on the subject. The formula suggested by the GoM shows that the freed land will be distributed to all stake holders depending upon the ownership of the land. This means that in cases where the salt pan land is fully owned by an individual, the owner will receive 50% of the land, while the balance share will be distributed equally between the central and the state governments. The proposed formula also has separate considerations for salt pan land within the city and outside the city limits. It further will be classified into various categories like land purchased by salt producers and transferred to the Centre’s salt department and leased back to the producers. The other section will be land owned by the central government and leased to salt producers for a fixed tenure.