Why a 2800‑crore TDR on the heads of Thane residents?

A new conflict within the Mahayuti arising from the Chitlassar‑Manpada case…?

Mumbai, 21 (Anant Nalawade) – If, under the pretext of accelerating Thane city’s development, a decision is taken that ultimately places the financial burden on the shoulders of Thane’s residents, then who will answer for it? From the Chitlassar‑Manpada land case, a potential TDR burden of about Rs 2,700 to 2,800 crore has been directly questioned to the Thane Municipal Corporation by Forest Minister and BJP leader Ganesh Naik. Consequently, this case, already politically sensitive, now shows signs of becoming a new flashpoint in the internal politics of the Mahayuti.

“Why should the people of Thane bear a TDR burden of Rs 2,700 crore?” Naik asked. His fundamental question is about the rationale for assigning such a large TDR value in exchange for land that the municipal corporation cannot actually use. Local citizens are now preparing to approach the Supreme Court, and Naik has given them his open support. Thus, this is no longer just a matter of the developer and the corporation but is emerging as a “question of Thane residents’ money.”

TDR figure at Rs 2,800 crore; who is responsible…?

The TDR entanglement arose from a dispute over about 193 acres of land in the Chitlassar‑Manpada area. After land was earmarked for a public park, the developer D. Dahyabhai & Co. made a massive TDR claim. The value of this claim has come out to be approximately Rs 2,700 to 2,800 crore. The case also saw judicial battles. Following the Bombay High Court’s decision, Supreme Court proceedings highlighted compliance with UDCPR, transfer of ownership rights, and other issues. Subsequently, reports indicate that a pathway for granting TDR was opened on the basis of a mutual settlement between the Thane Municipal Corporation and the developer. However, the question raised by Naik at this very point is politically more significant. If the corporation cannot use the land, why should the thousands of crore worth of TDR be indirectly shouldered by the people of Thane…? This is the hard question Naik posed.

1,053 acres of forest land provides a new political context…

The entire dispute now has the background of a decision concerning 1,053 acres of reserved forest land. Regarding the removal of ‘Reserved Forest’ records on the land near Ghodbandar Road, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule reversed the administrative decision and instructed that the land be returned to the Forest Department and Sanjay Gandhi National Park. According to Naik, some decisions related to this land allocation were taken without the confidence of Revenue Minister Bawankule. Naik also claimed that after Bawankule gave assurances of an inquiry, the land was returned. This creates a political intertwining of the four issues of land, forest area, development, and TDR in Thane.