The reclamation of the defunct Mulund dumping ground represents one of the most significant urban land transformations in Mumbai. By the end of December, a colossal 64 acres of prime real estate—bordered by the Eastern Express Highway and the Thane Creek mangroves—will officially open up for public use.
However, as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) nears the finish line on its massive waste remediation project, a heated debate has erupted over who gets to dictate the future of this massive land parcel.
The Competing Visions for the 64 Acres
Several powerful interest groups, politicians, and local citizens are actively locking horns over what should replace the former garbage mountain:
1. The Golf Course Proposal (The Political Push)
Mulund MLA Mihir Kotecha is heavily championing the creation of a public golf course.
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The Backing: The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), headed by legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, has already been granted permission to conduct an initial feasibility survey.
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The Argument: Because capping a landfill leaves a permanent risk of trapped methane gas, deep digging or heavy structural construction could trigger dangerous underground explosions. A golf course provides vast, manicured green cover without requiring deep foundations. Kotecha also argues it would democratize a sport typically locked behind elite, multi-year club waiting lists.
2. The Urban Forest & Nature Park (The Citizens’ Demand)
Local residents, particularly the Hari Om Nagar Federation (representing over 70 buildings and 10,000 neighbors), are fiercely opposing commercial or sport-centric setups.
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The Argument: Residents argue that Mumbai desperately needs to claw back its vanishing green cover. They point to the successful historical precedent of the Dharavi dumping ground, which was beautifully transformed into the thriving Mahim Nature Park (Maharashtra Nature Park), as well as the green spaces that replaced the old Malad dumping yard. They argue the land should simply be handed back to nature to heal the local ecosystem.
3. The Cancer Hospital (The Public Amenity Alternative)
Other civic factions are lobbying to use a portion of the reclaimed land to build a state-of-the-art cancer hospital, citing a massive shortage of affordable, specialized healthcare facilities in the central suburbs.
Clearing 7 Million Tonnes of Legacy Waste
The transformation is being executed by Bio Mining India Pvt Ltd (BMIPL). Though the company has missed four operational deadlines, the sheer scale of the engineering feat is massive:
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Progress: As of late May, 90% of the work is complete, meaning 6 million out of the total 7 million tonnes of legacy waste accumulated since 2018 has been processed.
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The Flattening: Workers initially faced an 8-meter-high hillock of garbage.
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The Breakdown: Through intense sorting, engineers found that 80% of the mound consisted of soil and stones (now diverted to reclamation projects), while 10% was processed into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) pellets for industrial energy. The remaining garbage is treated daily with bacterial cultures to safely accelerate decomposition.
The Hidden Environmental Warning
Environmentalists are raising serious red flags about jumping into fast-track development on top of legacy garbage.
The Ghost of Landfills Past: Stalin Dayanand, director of the environmental non-profit Vanashakti, points to the Chincholi Bunder dumping ground closure. Within five years of its closure, commercial malls and offices sprouted around it. Soon after, electronic appliances in those buildings began rapidly failing and corroding due to invisible, corrosive chemical fumes leaking out of the ground.
Activists note that Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) guidelines mandate a strict 500-meter no-development buffer zone around closed dumping yards—a rule that builders and planners seem to be completely ignoring as they eye the multi-crore land parcel.
Where Does the BMC Stand?
Despite the aggressive posturing from politicians and local citizen groups, the city administration is keeping its cards close to its chest. Kiran Dighavkar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), confirmed that while the BMC has been flooded with proposals for golf courses and hospitals, no final decision has been made.
Because the plot remains officially zoned and reserved for “Solid Waste Management facilities,” altering its usage will require careful legal navigation and strict environmental clearance.
