A broad coalition of former administrators, jurists, urban planners, activists and citizen groups has written to the Maharashtra government seeking an immediate halt to what it calls the ‘indiscriminate monetisation’ of public land in Mumbai. The appeal is grounded in a detailed white paper (
Citizens’ Concerns Against Privatisation of Public Land) released after a brainstorming meeting held on 4 October 2025 at the Mumbai Press Club, organised by Moneylife Foundation.
The initiative has garnered support from 128 signatories, including several prominent public figures such as Mumbai’s former police commissioner Julio Ribeiro, retired Bombay High Court judge justice Gautam S Patel, admiral Vishnu Bhagwat (retd), former central information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi, senior advocates, academics, journalists and representatives of organisations such as Moneylife Foundation, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI), Vanashakti, Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST, Love Your Parks (LYP) Mumbai, NGO Alliance for Governance and Renewal (NAGAR) and others. The wide range of endorsements underscores the breadth of concern over ongoing land redevelopment and leasing proposals across the city.
In a letter dated 12 November 2025, addressed to chief minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, the signatories expressed strong objections to proposals involving railway, mill, port and other government-owned lands being opened up for commercial or speculative development. They argue that such land, originally reserved for essential public purposes, including housing, transport infrastructure, education, healthcare and open spaces, is being diverted without a coherent policy, transparency, or meaningful public consultation.
The white paper notes that Mumbai’s public land—once the backbone of its affordable housing, open spaces and social infrastructure—is rapidly diminishing. Over the past two decades, successive rounds of redevelopment involving mill land, port land and railway land have resulted in reduced public amenities, displacement of long-settled communities and urban designs that prioritise private gain. The most recent proposals to redevelop railway land, including suggestions to place tracks underground to free up surface land for commercial development, are described as a critical juncture that requires closer public scrutiny.
According to the document, monetisation of public land, whether through sale or long-term lease, effectively transfers rights, use and control from public agencies to private entities. The signatories argue that the revenues projected from such transactions tend to be overstated, that the use of proceeds rarely aligns with stated public objectives and that the practical outcomes often undermine public interest. They emphasise that public authorities act as custodians of land rather than owners and cannot alienate these assets to bridge fiscal gaps or finance short-term projects.
The white paper recommends taking public land off the speculative market altogether and reserving it exclusively for public purposes. It stresses that planning authority for land use must rest with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), regardless of land ownership, with all proposals subjected to statutory notification, full disclosure, independent review and meaningful public consultation. It also argues that land originally allotted to agencies or private entities for specific purposes—often at nominal rates—should revert to the government if the original use has ceased, rather than being monetised by the land-holding authority.
The citizens’ letter places four core demands before the state government:
- Issue a white paper detailing all public land transactions, leases and monetisation proposals in Mumbai.
- Formulate a unified public land policy covering all state and central agencies, supported by clear disclosure norms and public consultation procedures.
- Suspend all ongoing or proposed monetisation initiatives until such a policy is developed and publicly debated.
- Enact legislative protections to ensure that public land remains reserved for genuine public purposes, based on measurable per-capita requirements for housing, open spaces and civic amenities.
The document concludes that public land is a finite, irreplaceable resource whose management must prioritise long-term public interest over short-term financial considerations. It urges the government to halt further monetisation proposals, place all ongoing plans in the public domain and initiate city-wide consultations with citizen groups, independent experts and local representatives.
Alongside the release of the white paper, a public petition has been launched by Sucheta Dalal, founder-trustee of Moneylife Foundation, calling for wider citizen support.
Readers who wish to endorse the appeal may sign the petition here:
