Asserting that the government will not give port land to private builders, Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari today assured the fishing community they will not be displaced as part of the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) land redevelopment plan.
"He (Gadkari) assured the fishing community that there are no proposals to relocate any of the fishermen colonies as part of port land redevelopment plan," an official statement quoted him saying at a function here.
Gadkari said the government is committed towards the welfare of fishermen, the original residents of the financial capital, and will be taking steps to encourage export of marine products.
The minister reiterated that "not a single inch of port land will be handed over to private builders and real estate developers", the statement said.
Gadkari was speaking after inaugurating a renovated gate and clock tower at Sassoon Dock, one of the oldest docks in the country.
The Shipping Ministry is currently in the process of redeveloping excess land of MbPT.
The port land will be used for the benefit of local people, like maintaining greenery, having open spaces, constructing a convention centre, setting up passenger service terminals and constructing marina for anchoring private yachts, Gadkari had said earlier.
The Ministry is in the process of engaging an international consultant to suggest how to best utilise this land, he had said.
According to some analysts, the land on the eastern seafront in the space-starved city possesses a big opportunity for realty developers, but Gadkari's comments put an end to speculation over utilisation of the same.
