Encroachment of land in Mumbai

The average Mumbaikar’s plight has become like that of the poor peasant in Tagore’s epic poem Dui Bigha Jomi (two bighas of land), in which the poor man says to his zamindar –“O Lord, countless are the plots of land you already own, But consider — I only have land enough to bury me when I’m gone!”. The zamindar brushes him aside saying — “Your half-acre will allow me to design a lovely fountain”. The poor peasant replies: “Spare this poor man’s land, or else he dies!”

Today, the average Mumbaikar occupies two positions when it comes to land ownership. Is he from the builders’ lobby (the zamindars of today) or is he a poor Mumbaikar (today’s landless farmer) whose only remaining Dui Bigha Jomi is being taken away from him? Zamindari exists in India’s financial capital today. And it is called ‘Builderdari’.

Rise of the builderdari

The plight of the common Mumbaikar is worse than that of the farmer in Tagore’s poem for he has no access to the builderdar. He cannot even meet him or speak with him to plead his case. And right under his very nose, he is forced out of his land — land which should have been for him; for the public; for the millions of aam Mumbaikars.

When large tracts of mill lands were taken over to build luxury malls and high-rises, when gardens and recreational plots were usurped, when prime plots near Railway stations were given to builders instead of being used for public benefit such as for the much needed expansion of Railway stations and bus terminals, and when redundant Port Trust land is being leased out to builderdars and billionaires, where does the common man go? A few months back, a prime plot of land facing the Sea Link bridge, was walled off by a realty company owned by one of India’s richest billionaires.

Quite recently, this problem reached its zenith, when the plot of land which was being taken over to build a luxury apartment tower, was already being used by a public hospital viz-a-viz the Sion Hospital for more than 25 years. This happened because one of the alleged builderdars in this case has been the Guardian Minister for Mumbai.

There is no denying that the Sion Hospital urgently requires more space and land to be able to carry out its myriad activities which include outpatient, inpatient, medical college and students-related activities as well as space for sufficient parking and open space for the rehabilitation of patients. The demand for indoor beds and other facilities is so huge that the conditions in the wards of the Sion Hospital, as is the case with any public hospital in the city, resemble wards in war zones. Overcrowded corridors, two patients on one bed, and cluttered IV stands and medical equipment are a common sight. And yet, the above-mentioned prime plot of land has been taken over by the builderdars for building luxury apartments.

Do these builderdars, their political benefactors and their rich clients (who get world-class treatment in the city’s private hospitals) really care for the poor Mumbaikar?

This has been a recurring theme of land usage in Mumbai for decades. Converting public land for private luxury residences prioritises the luxury of a few over the lives of millions. Chawls (which provided low-income housing to millions) and mills have been converted to skyscrapers and luxury malls.

The courts must take suo moto cognisance of this matter and seek a record of all existing public land in Mumbai and the suburbs and freeze any further conversion of public land. This is a step that should have been taken long ago. This has now become imperative for saving the lives of many Mumbaikars and the life of the city itself.

Santosh Karmarkar is a paediatric surgeon and social activist based in Mumbai