Salt pan land for homes—why?

• The Maharashtra government has allocated 255.9 acres of salt pan land in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs for rental housing in the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.
• The land is ecologically important salt marshlands, used for salt cultivation, holding ponds, and a natural defense against flooding.
• The land parcels are owned by the Central government and approved by the Union Cabinet in September 2024.
• Four conditions for land allocation have been put forth, with the State government collecting land revenue from the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Private Limited (DRPPL).
• The DRPPL will bear the cost of resettlement of laborers working on the land and other incidental costs for land acquisition.
• The land will be leased to the Maharashtra government for 99 years, and it cannot be used for commercial activities.
• Urban planners and environmentalists argue for an impact assessment study before opening up large packs of land for intensive activities like housing.
• The DRPPL will seek approval from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for construction.