Kurla Plot Gifted to Adani

• Govt Tweaks Rules for One Tycoon

• 23 Mumbai Plots on Adani’s Radar

Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts News Exclusive
Contact: +91 9322755098

Under the guise of Dharavi redevelopment, the Maharashtra government has transferred 8.5 hectares of prime Kurla land to the Adani Group, bypassing public opposition and altering contract terms. Sprouts News SIT reveals that 23 plots across Mumbai may be handed over, raising serious concerns of corporate favoritism and displacement.

In a move drawing sharp criticism from residents and opposition leaders, the Maharashtra government has officially transferred 8.5 hectares of prime land in Kurla—previously home to the defunct Mother Dairy unit—to the Adani Group. This decision, taken under the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), was approved in the recent State Cabinet meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The government also amended the original contract clauses to facilitate this land transfer, sparking fresh allegations of favoritism.

Despite sustained protests from local residents demanding that the land be used for a botanical garden and public healthcare facilities, the state has gone ahead with the transfer, citing rehabilitation needs of displaced Dharavi families. The Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT) has found that the land was originally earmarked for mixed-use development by MMRDA, but was later diverted to Adani Infrastructure Ltd without adequate public consultation.

21 Acres Promised, But 8.5 Hectares Handed Over

Located in Nehru Nagar, Kurla, the Mother Dairy plot spans over 10.4 hectares and lies adjacent to the Santacruz–Chembur Link Road, LTT Kurla Terminus, Metro Yellow Line 2B, and the suburban Harbour Line. Initially, only 21 acres were to be allocated to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. However, in a surprising shift, the Cabinet has approved the transfer of 8.5 hectares—more than double the earlier commitment.

This land, unused for a decade, is now a hotbed of controversy, with opposition leaders alleging that the Mahayuti government is bending laws to benefit industrialist Gautam Adani. The SIT’s investigation indicates that similar changes have been made to benefit the group in other parts of Mumbai as well.

23 Plots Across Mumbai Proposed for Adani Group in the Name of Rehabilitation

What appears on paper as a rehabilitation effort for Dharavi’s 5 lakh eligible families is, according to the SIT, also a veiled operation to divert nearly 2,000 acres of prime Mumbai land to the Adani Group. These include plots owned by the BMC, SRA, MMRDA, and the state revenue department. Among the 23 proposed plots are:

•BMC Lands: Dahisar, Mulund, Mankhurd checkposts, Mulund dumping ground, and 138+ acres in Dharavi.

•Collector & MMRDA Lands: Kurla’s Mother Dairy, Deonar dumping ground, ONGC colony, multiple BEST and GRP housing colonies at T Junction, HDIL tenements in Kurla, and Kanjurmarg Metro Casting Yard.

•Salt Pans: Kanjurmarg, Mulund, Bhandup, and Matunga.

•Railway Lands: 45 acres in Dharavi under railway jurisdiction.

3.5 Lakh Dharavi Families to Be Displaced Amid ‘Selective Rehabilitation’

Out of Dharavi’s 8.5 lakh residents, only 5 lakh families are marked as eligible for in-situ rehabilitation. The remaining 3.5 lakh, labeled as ineligible, face eviction and relocation. The Mother Dairy plot has reportedly been assigned for resettling these families, though the ground reality reveals large-scale handovers to Adani.

Sprouts News SIT found that hundreds of trees on the Mother Dairy land are marked for felling, despite environmental concerns raised by residents. The locals had demanded a botanical garden and public health center on the land, but their objections were ignored in favour of a corporate deal.

Cabinet Accused of Bowing to Corporate Pressure

The opposition, particularly the Congress, has slammed the state government, asking whether the Cabinet has now become subservient to one industrialist. Congress MP and Mumbai unit chief Varsha Gaikwad condemned the land transfer, calling it a “betrayal of public trust.” She added that “rules are being bent, policies rewritten, and urban land sacrificed—all to benefit one corporate house.”

Sprouts News SIT has reported that this isn’t an isolated instance. Legal amendments, administrative approvals, and GRs (Government Resolutions) are being pushed rapidly, often without public hearings or transparency.

Also Read: MMRDA Shake-Up: Tainted Bureaucrat Padmakar Rokade Transfer Sparks Political Storm in Maharashtra.

Resistance Continues: “Our Fight for Dharavi Isn’t Over”

“The land belongs to the people of Mumbai, not to private profiteers,” said Varsha Gaikwad. She emphasized that the fight will intensify and Dharavi’s rightful residents will not be abandoned. According to her, the movement against this handover is far from over—and will escalate both on the streets and in the courts.

As per Sprouts News SIT’s sources, more land parcels may be quietly reallocated in the coming months. With Mumbai’s urban fabric at stake, residents, activists, and opposition leaders are gearing up for a long, legal and political battle.