MP Varsha Gaikwad accused the Maharashtra government of favoring Adani and misleading citizens.
Mumbai, Maharashtra: Clearing and demarcation of the controversial and eco-sensitive Mother Dairy land in Kurla’s Nehru Nagar has begun. Varsha Gaikwad, Mumbai North Central MP, claimed that protestors were being detained by the police and were being prevented from protesting near the site.
Sharing a video of construction workers, the MP said that just like Aarey, “the government wants to ruthlessly cut down these trees and hand over the land to serve Adani’s interests.”
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The Mumbai North Central MP claimed that the Nehru Nagar residents, who protested against the “blatant land grab,” were being detained by the police. She accused Kurla MLA Mangesh Kudalkar of Shiv Sena (Shinde) of falsely declaring that the government had stayed the decision to hand over the land for Adani’s cause and thus misleading the citizens ahead of the assembly elections.
“However, with the elections over, the government has shown its true colors, blatantly disregarding both public sentiment and environmental concerns. This is clearly a government of Adani, for Adani, and by Adani,” said Gaikwad in an X post.
She alleged that the area has been heavily cordoned off by police, with a suspicious fire in an unoccupied building inside Mother Dairy two days ago. “To serve Adani’s interests, this government has tried to suppress public protests in Dharavi, Mulund, Malad, and Kurla, but we won’t be silenced. We will continue our fight against this massive land grab. We won’t allow Mumbai to be looted,” she added.
ADANI LAND GRAB ALERT ⚠️
The Adani Sarkar has struck again. To satisfy the greed of PM @narendramodi‘s best friend Adani, it has now forcefully commenced the clearing and demarcation of the eco-sensitive Mother Dairy land in Kurla’s Nehru Nagar.
This public land, home to… pic.twitter.com/JLAAb4HldI
— Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad (@VarshaEGaikwad) January 19, 2025
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The Mother Dairy Land
Established in 1974, the Mother Dairy in Nehru Nagar in Kurla was shut down around two decades ago after its operation. The building has been empty since. Nearly 2.5 acres of the land has been taken up for constructing a viaduct and a station for Metro Line 2B.
In December 2023, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde appointed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) as a Special Planning Authority (SPA) with plans to use the land as a ‘mini BKC’ (Bandra Kurla Complex).
However, the residents are unhappy. They fear that a ‘mini BKC’ would crowd the already crowded Kurla.
In June 2024, Maharashtra’s dairy development department approved the transfer of a 21-acre plot from the Kurla dairy to billionaire Adani’s Dharavi Redevelopment Project and the Slum Rehabilitation Authority.
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On June 14, four residential groups in Kurla protested against the decision. Fearing another concrete jungle taking over the vibrant greenery stretching over 8.515 hectares, the residents demanded a public park be built in the area. The residents complain that population growth in the area will result in vehicle and traffic burden, increasing pollution levels.
The demand for an open space in the form of a public park gained over 10,000 signatures and support of other citizen groups. But nothing happened since.
