The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has confirmed that if the boundaries of gaothans, koliwadas and adivasi padas are absent from the city’s Development Plan (DP), they will be incorporated once finalised by the revenue department.

The clarification follows criticism from citizens’ groups who pointed out that only 52 of Mumbai’s 189 gaothans are currently shown on the DP. Officials explained that under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966, the urban development department approved the Greater Mumbai DP 2034 through a government notification on 8 May 2018, making the matter largely one for the revenue and fisheries departments.

Residents of these historic settlements, many predating Mumbai’s formation, have long campaigned for clear demarcation to prevent their neighbourhoods being treated as slums and merged into rehabilitation projects.

Public Interest Litigation No. 55 of 2019 was filed in the Bombay High Court by the Watchdog Foundation, highlighting the omission. Its representative, Godfrey Pimenta, noted that there are still no separate Development Control Promotion Regulations (DCPR) for gaothans and koliwadas within Mumbai, despite such regulations existing across the wider metropolitan region.

According to BMC, boundaries for 22 koliwadis in Mumbai Suburban District and 115 polygons covering 64 village gaothans have already been mapped in DP 2034. Once additional maps are received from the revenue department, the remaining areas will be included.

On the matter of specific DCPR, the chief engineer (DP) stated that while provisions for reconstruction and redevelopment exist in DCPR 2034, these are temporarily suspended. The urban development department has been asked to issue directives on suitable amendments.