MUMBAI: The proposal to hand over two key BEST bus depots at Dharavi and Kalakilla for the Adani Group-led Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) was approved by the BMC’s general body on Thursday after a heated debate between the ruling alliance and the opposition.
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Congress group leader Ashraf Azmi opposed the proposal, alleging that the BMC was steadily transferring prime properties to private companies. He pointed out that it had last month already approved the transfer of 11.57 acres of BEST land to the Adani Group-led joint venture Navbharat Mega Developers Pvt Ltd without even assessing its market value, and added that dues of nearly ₹400 to ₹500 crore from previously leased properties were still pending.
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The corporator also cited other instances: the proposed redevelopment/transfer of Shivaji Maharaj Market, Century Mills, and the Mother Dairy land in Kurla also for the DRP. He said it was contradictory for the BMC to part with its land assets while simultaneously raising funds through municipal bonds. “If the BMC is like a mother, then we are her unworthy sons if we allow her assets to be given away like this,” Azmi said.
BEST committee chairperson Trushna Vishwasrao defended the proposal, saying the redevelopment was essential for both the Dharavi project and the financial sustainability of BEST. Admitting that the five BEST depots which had been handed over for redevelopment still owed BEST around ₹300 crore, including ₹170 crore in interest, she claimed that safeguards had now been built into the current proposal.
Vishwasrao also admitted that a site visit had revealed that the Versova Seven Bungalows depot, despite having a shopping mall on its premises, had itself fallen into disrepair and was allegedly being misused at night. “This prompted BEST to recommend not redeveloping the remaining 22 depots under the public-private partnership model,” she said. “Instead, we have presented alternative revenue-generation plans to the CM.”
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With the BMC expected to pay liabilities of around ₹28,000 crore next year, he questioned why the value of the depot land had not been disclosed and why no independent third-party valuation had been conducted before approving the proposal.
While replying to Azmi’s mention of BEST’s financial and operational challenges, Vishwasrao said the undertaking was grappling with an acute manpower shortage, with nearly 1,000 employees having retired in recent months. She said the BMC had already made a provision of ₹100 crore for BEST while another ₹500 crore was expected from the state government. Given the benefits of the redevelopment and the support promised to the transport undertaking, she appealed to corporators to approve the proposal unanimously.
