MUMBAI, May 29 -- By the year-end, 64 acres of prime real estate will open up for public use, setting off a scramble among players eager to stake their claim. Fringed by the emerald mangroves of the Thane creek on one side and the Eastern Express Highway on the other, the land has become a magnet for soaring real estate ambition. The land in question is the defunct Mulund dumping ground - raising a larger question over who gets to decide the future of land originally reserved for a public amenity. The BMC says remediation efforts - effectively the closure of the dumping ground - will be complete by December. However, long before waste segregators and earth movers fall silent, plans are afoot for this colossal land parcel. MLA from Mulund, Mihir Kotecha, is pushing for a golf course, while others want to set up a cancer hospital. Kotecha says Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), headed by legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, has been granted permission to conduct an initial survey for the development of a golf course here. "The release of methane gas is a genuine issue and any sort of digging could lead to a blast. Hence, a golf course is best since it will not require any digging and will ensure green cover. Besides, there is a long waiting period to take membership in other city golf clubs and this game should be accessible to all," Kotecha told HT. His reasoning doesn't sit well with local residents. "Mumbai has already lost so much greenery and this is a perfect opportunity to develop an urban forest," says Mohan Menon, a committee member of the Hari Om Nagar Federation, which represents more than 70 buildings and 10,000 residents. Sachin Joshi, another committee member, agrees. "Remnants of any dumping ground will tend to have repercussions for years. Hence, it is best to allow nature to take over." Work is progressing swiftly at the Mulund yard even as Bio Mining India Pvt Ltd (BMIPL) - the company hired to clear and then shut the dumping ground - has missed four deadlines. BMIPL says it has deployed more than 120 trucks, 60 excavators and segregating machines to process 25,440 tonnes of waste daily. "The company was tasked with processing and disposing of 7 million tonnes of legacy waste after the ground was closed in 2018. We have completed 90% of the work, that is, processing 6 million tonnes," said Dushyant Warse, project manager, BMIPL. When the company started the work, it was confronted with an 8-metre-high hillock of waste, which it had to level, Warse said. Around 80% consisted of soil and stones used in reclamation projects; another 10% was raw material converted into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), which is used to make fuel pellets. The garbage is treated with culture, which helps process 7,000 tonnes of garbage per day. Two dumping grounds are currently in use in Mumbai. While the one in Kanjurmarg is an active dumping yard, the ground in Deonar receives leftover waste and is also in the process of being shut. Every dumping ground must have an approved closure plan, according to Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) regulations. MPCB also prescribes guidelines for restoration such as biomining or bio-methanation to prevent them from becoming health hazards. Environmental activists say there is a huge price to pay for not observing the prescribed regulations. "Within five years of the official closure report being submitted for the Chincholi bunder dumping ground, malls and buildings came up all around it. Soon, electronic appliances started giving way in offices built around it because the dumping ground kept giving off fumes," says Stalin Dayanand, director of the non-profit Vanashakti. "At the Mulund dumping ground too, builders seem to be salivating at the prospect of opening up yet another huge landmass without realising the consequences." He adds: "There are also guidelines about a no-development zone to be maintained within 500 metres of dumping grounds, but no one seems to be talking about it." Residents who live near garbage transfer stations in Mumbai are urging the authorities to shift them. "The Versova garbage transfer station is right next to us. The authorities must shut it due to the nuisance it causes residents," says Dhaval Shah of the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association (LOCA). Deputy municipal commissioner (solid waste management) Kiran Dighavkar said remediation efforts at Mulund will conclude by the year-end. "While the BMC has received many proposals including one for a golf course and to set up hospitals, for this land reserved for solid waste management facilities, no decision has been taken as yet." He added: "There are no plans regarding the Gorai dumping yard. Besides, it is located on collector's land."...