782 acre salt pan lands: HC upholds lease termination

Mumbai: Bombay High Court on Wednesday dismissed a suit filed in 2005 and upheld the termination of lease of 782 acres of salt pan land spread across Mulund, Bhandup and Kanjur Marg. Justice S V Marne directed the lease holder to hand over vacant lands to the salt commissioner.
A Dadar resident, Vikas Walawalkar had filed the suit to challenge an order passed by the deputy salt commissioner terminating the lease of salt lands.Walawalkar had sought a declaration that the lease was valid for another 99 years. The dismissal could now pave the way for widening of Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR), as the BMC could not take possession of the requisite lands because of an interim order in the proceedings. The GMLR project is a connector between Eastern and Western Express Highway, said the BMC. tnn