Reclaimed land sparks Breach Candy Hospital-BMC tussle

A tug-of-war has begun over a patch of reclaimed land reclaimed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for its Coastal Road project, and claimed by Breach Candy Hospital on the basis of an old but still-valid lease.

- Sabah Virani

MUMBAI: It's a plot that is gaining new twists and turns.

In all, about 6,000 square metres of land reclaimed by the BMC on the west coast of the city is currently in contention. The hospital has laid claim to about 2,300 sq m as they had leased it decades ago. They say they want to use it for a parking lot. The remainder belongs to the adjacent, private Breach Candy Club, which is still measuring its plot and has not put in a claim yet.

Two questions could now determine the outcome of the hospital's claim: Does the fact that the BMC funded the reclamation override any competing claim, making the BMC its current owner? The second is a question that could set a precedent: Given that the BMC guaranteed the Union environment ministry that all reclaimed land not used for the actual Coastal Road would be used for green public spaces only could a parking lot be permitted?