Mulund residents campaign for hospital, bus terminus on octroi, dumping ground land

MUMBAI The 60 acres of vacant land – 18 acres of the now-defunct octroi naka and 42 acres taken up by a garbage dump, which is being cleared -- in Mulund East, has stoked the imagination of the 10,000-strong population of Hari Om Nagar about innumerable possibilities. They have garnered over 2,000 signatures for an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital, interstate and intercity bus terminus, and a cultural and sports centre.

“The vacant land of the octroi naka was used for a garba session over the weekend. The garbage dumping space is also being remedied and levelled. All that land can be utilised for a diverse range of purposes that will continue to serve future generations,” said Sahebrao Survade, chairman of the Hari Om Nagar Apex Body Federation (HONAFE) that is spearheading the campaign.

Arguing for an AIIMS hospital, he pointed out that the closest government hospital from the hub is the Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, which is an hour away. “Additionally, a medical college will provide an opportunity to candidates who wish to pursue medical education,” he said.

The residents are also pressing for a bus terminus as no BEST buses visit the area.

“We have not had buses here since five years. Residents have to walk to the highway to catch one. Rickshaws are only available to Thane on share trips,” said Madhusudan Gutti, a member of HONAFE who is also part of the campaign.

Another member of HONAFE, who did not wish to be named, emphasised on the need for interstate buses as well, “which will help students and officegoers as well even from Thane”.

“A well-made bus terminus with an upper floor for restaurants and other commercial establishments will be financially viable as well as convenient for us and residents of neighbouring Kopri and Thane,” added Gutti.

Incidentally, the demand for an interstate bus terminus on the land is not new. In 2017, Bharat Soni of the Mulund-based Hillside Residents Welfare Association (HRWA) had also written to the BMC with a similar demand, which was brought up in one of the assembly sessions by then MP Manoj Kotak.

Meanwhile, HONAFE is also batting for a cultural centre and sports complex, for people “to stay in touch with the arts as well as offer a space for different sports and physical activities”.

In the past, there have been many plans with the Mulund dumping ground – a commercial BKC-like hub, the plan to shift the Mahalaxmi Racecourse and the rehabilitation of citizens of Dharavi. “The land will take another year to be remedied but all these plans have fallen through,” said Survade. “Likewise, the octroi naka has been unused except for a small portion for the toll collection since 2017.”

With an aim to collect 10,000 signatures, Hari Om Nagar residents have cast their net wide and reached out to citizens from Kopri, Naupada, Damoji Patil Wadi and other parts of Thane. HONAFE then plans to approach chief minister Eknath Shinde, the BMC, and other elected representatives from their area to push their demand.

“Between 80,000 to 1 lakh people will benefit from these services,” said Gutti. “We are collecting signatures via change.org and physically as well.”

When HT reached out to an official from BMC’s assessment department, he failed to share citizens’ optimism. “Parts of the octroi naka land have been given to the water supply project department, solid waste management department, MMRDA, etc. Only five acres is left,” he said. “The citizens can approach the state government and BMC with their campaign, but the feasibility of it can be assessed only later.”