Big land unlock in Mumbai: Dahisar radar relocation plan targets 1,000 acres for housing

Civil aviation ministry plans cabinet approval for shifting AAI’s Dahisar high-frequency radar to Gorai; Maharashtra will bear costs

The Airports Authority of India’s (AAI) high-frequency radar at Dahisar in Mumbai will be relocated to Gorai, a move that could unlock around 1,000 acres for affordable housing and redevelopment projects in north Mumbai, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Sunday, according to PTI.

Naidu said the civil aviation ministry will seek cabinet approval for the relocation so construction work on housing projects can start at the earliest, PTI reported. The decision followed a meeting involving the civil aviation ministry, the Maharashtra government and other stakeholders.

Radar installations at Dahisar and Juhu currently restrict building heights, which officials say has stalled urban development and redevelopment projects in these areas.

“The issue was impacting the urban development projects in North Mumbai. Due to this, some lakh people were being forced to live in old, dilapidated buildings,” Naidu said, as per PTI. He added that the relocation would help fulfil housing aspirations in Dahisar.

Naidu said “some 1,000 acres of land spread over 6 km will be released for housing projects for the people of Dahisar,” PTI reported. He also said the move balances housing needs with aviation safety.

On Saturday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the legislative assembly the state government had decided to shift high-frequency radar centres from Dahisar and Juhu to technically suitable alternative sites, according to PTI.

Fadnavis said the civil aviation ministry, the Union government and the AAI had agreed to shifting the Dahisar radar, and that Maharashtra has conveyed its willingness to bear the cost of relocation and provide alternative land, PTI reported.

He also said the land at Gorai will be transferred free of cost to the Centre, and 40% of the AAI land at Dahisar will be used for public purposes, as per PTI.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who represents the North Mumbai constituency, said an estimated 50,000 houses could be constructed or redeveloped over the next five years, generating employment, PTI reported.

Goyal said stalled projects would start moving faster in the coming months, and credited coordination between the Centre and the state for the decision, as per PTI.

The government has suggested an alternative site at Juhu to the AAI for technical evaluation, PTI reported. After the technical study is completed and the site is finalised, the approval process for shifting the Juhu radar will begin.

Fadnavis said that after relocating the radar centres, redevelopment of buildings in Dahisar and Juhu (DN Nagar) areas will become feasible, according to PTI.