Judgement Halts Bombay Mills Demolitions

In 1999 the Bombay Environmental Action Group suggested that the Mumbai (Bombay) mill lands should be divided into three, with a third going for open spaces, a third going for public amenities and a third going to the mill owners. The Mills district - an area of some 600 acres that recently formed the subject of an INTBAU India Design Workshop - has been the subject of piecemeal development of malls and tower blocks, and calls are growing for a more rational solution.BEAG filed a Writ Petition in February 2005 challenging this change. The mill owners and the State of Maharastra defended the charge, which argued that regulations had been amended to suit mill-owner's interests at the expense of public amenity. The judgement just handed down is likely to be challenged in the high court, but wins valuable time for moves to seek a more rational plann for this huge area at the heart of this huge and rapidly growing Indian city.