BMC revives golf course plan for Mulund dumpsite as Adani lease proposal hits a roadblock | Mumbai News

“I have spoken to the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) CEO earlier this week and asked them to immediately begin the feasibility study at the Mulund site. The land is being leased to the DRP only for five years. After that, it will be converted into a green zone,” Kotecha told *The Indian Express*.

The proposal is not entirely new. In November last year, the PGTI wrote to the BMC seeking permission to carry out a feasibility study for developing a golf course on the reclaimed landfill. A month later, the civic administration permitted the organisation to undertake geotechnical surveys and other preliminary studies at its own expense.

PGTI CEO Amandeep Johl said the organisation was awaiting the BMC’s final confirmation before beginning the exercise.

“We are looking forward to carrying out the study. Once we receive the final confirmation from the BMC, we will begin the feasibility exercise,” Johl said.

He said the study would assess the site’s topography, soil quality, drainage, slope and other geological factors required for constructing and maintaining a golf course.

“Our proposal is for a nine-hole golf course. Once the study is completed, we will prepare a detailed blueprint,” he said.

The developments come a day after the BMC’s Improvements Committee deferred a proposal to lease the 15-acre parcel to NMDPL. According to the proposal tabled before the committee, the company sought the land to establish an RMC plant and casting yard for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. The civic body expects to earn nearly Rs 103 crore through the proposed five-year lease.

NMDPL is the special purpose vehicle implementing the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, with Adani Properties Private Limited holding an 80 per cent stake and the Slum Rehabilitation Authority the remaining 20 per cent.

The committee withheld approval after members raised environmental concerns. Committee chairperson and Shiv Sena corporator Sandhya Doshi said the proposal had been sent back to the administration with a set of queries and would be placed before the panel again after the department submitted its replies.

A senior civic official said the proposed lease would not affect the golf course plan as only 15 acres were being given on a leave-and-licence basis for five years.

“There are no legal issues that prevent the PGTI from carrying out a feasibility study on the remaining 49 acres. The ownership of the land will continue to remain with the BMC,” the official said.

Officials added that the land is currently reserved for a waste processing facility because it earlier functioned as a dumping ground. If the golf course proposal is eventually approved, the reservation will have to be changed to that of a recreational facility.

The Mulund dumping ground remained operational from 1968 until 2018, when the Bombay High Court directed the BMC to scientifically close and remediate the landfill. The civic body subsequently began biomining nearly 80 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste. Around 70 lakh metric tonnes have been cleared so far, with the remediation work nearing completion.