Citizens’ Concerns Against Privatisation of Public Land
This white paper emerges from a brainstorming meeting organised by Moneylife Foundation on 4 October 2025 at the Mumbai Press Club, which brought together activists, urban planners, architects, researchers and concerned citizens to deliberate on the redevelopment of railway and other public lands in Mumbai. The discussion recognised the urgent need for a collective, evidence-based response to the growing trend of monetising public land under the pretext of redevelopment, infrastructure expansion or revenue generation.
Context
Mumbai’s vast tracts of public land—once the foundation for affordable housing, open spaces and social infrastructure—are rapidly shrinking. Over the past two decades, lands belonging to the mills, ports and railways have been successively diverted for commercial
development. ( https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/fare-hike-and-land-sale-two-more-nails-in-bests-coffin/articleshow/120866544.cms ) Such moves have eroded the public domain, displaced working communities and undermined the city’s environmental and social fabric.
The most recent proposal for redevelopment of railway land, including suggestions to relocate tracks underground to free surface land for “development,” represents a critical juncture. This approach, seen alongside similar monetisation efforts by other public
authorities, raises fundamental questions about who benefits from such “redevelopment”, and at what social and ecological cost.
Monetisation or sale of assets, which are essentially a transfer of rights from the public to private hands, are presented as a source of revenue for the authorities. ( https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/msrtc-to-monetise-its-assets-at-prime-locations-to-overcome-financial-losses-101687115558999.html) However, as these revenue projections are typically overstated, their recovery is a challenge, and even the utilisation of the revenue is rarely for the stated purposes. Occasionally, it is claimed that
assets are not being “sold” but leased. This is misleading, since both lease and outright sale amount to the same thing: i.e. a transfer of rights, use and control of the asset from public to private hands. The revenue or benefit of such a handover is merely a justification, and the actual outcome is almost never in the public interest.
Core Principles
1. Public Land as a Public Trust
Public land must serve public purposes and must not be alienated or commodified. All public authorities are custodians or trustees, not owners, of the lands they manage. Distributing public land for commercial exploitation needs to be stopped.
2. Public Purpose and Social Equity
The government must put the land to uses that maximise public benefit. Public land must be reserved for public use. The primary goal of any development must be for essential amenities, open spaces, public housing, and public transport—rather than to maximise commercial returns.
3. Expanding, Not Shrinking, Public Land Stock
Public land is a finite resource that belongs not just to the present generation but to all future ones. The government’s duty is to protect and enhance this shared asset for social, civic, and environmental purposes — not to monetise it for short-term revenue or private gain.
4. Public Land Off the Market
Public land should not be treated as a commodity for sale. They should be taken off the market. Any development must ensure that ownership, use, control and benefits remain within the public domain.
5. Transparency and Public Participation
Decisions regarding the use or development of public land should be subject to transparent procedures and meaningful public consultation, including full disclosure of project details and independent review mechanisms.
Policy Recommendations
The current pattern of land redevelopment in Mumbai reflects fragmented governance, opaque decision-making and a lack of coordination between agencies. Development authorities operate in silos, pursuing individual revenue or commercial objectives without
a shared vision for the city’s long-term needs. This has led to unequal access to land, loss of open spaces, displacement of communities and urban designs that prioritise private gain over public welfare. The following recommendations outline the structural and policy
reforms needed to achieve these goals.
1. Adopt a Unified Public Land Policy for Maharashtra
Develop a public land policy that applies consistent principles (as listed above) to all public authorities — Railways, MMRDA, BMC, MHADA, Revenue, Forest, CIDCO, MIDC, Dairy Department, Mumbai Port Authority, SRA, etc. The policy should require:
a) Full disclosure of land parcels acquired and notified under the land ceiling act;
b) Full disclosure of land parcels under public ownership;
c) Public consultations for any plans or proposals made on these land parcels;
d) Periodic reporting to the state legislature and a designated oversight body constituted as an independent body of people’s representatives, experts and civil society members.
e) Proposals and plans to expand the available pool of public land, either through direct purchase or acquisition.
2. Public Land, Planning and Consultation
Mumbai has a “balkanised” planning system, where different public authorities carry out their own plans and projects as their own little islands. However, land use planning must be undertaken by the local planning authority irrespective of land ownership.
a) Many land parcels in the past have been given to public authorities or departments (like MbPA, NTC, Railways, Posts and Telegraph, BSNL, MTNL) or private owners for a specific use at throwaway prices or lease rents. If these lands are no longer used for the specific purposes, they should revert back to the government without compensation. ( https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/mumbai-ambedkar-memorial-indu-mill-land-transfer-deal-is-
final-2817676/ ) Under no circumstances should the various public agencies or private owners be allowed to change their use or monetise their value.
b) Furthermore, the use of the land, irrespective of land ownership, must be decided by the local planning authority (BMC) through the planning process, and not by the land owner.
c) All plans for diversion of public land or change of user must undergo a detailed cost benefit analysis, mandatory disclosure, independent oversight and public consultation.
d) Details of the proposed land uses must be clearly indicated in local development plans
e) All statutory procedures (notification, suggestions & objections period, and consultations) must be followed for any change of land use on public land.
3. Public Land Exclusively for Public Purposes
Public land is to be used for the highest public purpose, which is to create public amenities—such as affordable public or low-income housing, schools, healthcare facilities and open spaces. The land must be reserved exclusively for:
a) Publicly managed parks and playgrounds that are open to the sky
b) Publicly managed amenities for basic healthcare and education
c) Public housing / low income housing built and managed by the government based on NBCI norms for low income housing. Amenities must be based on land area per capita, and not percentage of land area.
Conclusion and Way Forward
The principles and recommendations outlined in this note are based on the elementary
distinction between public and private interests. Public authorities are not owners but
stewards of public land. A public authority’s mandate is different from the motivations of
private landlords or private developers who seek to maximise profits from the land.
Alienating public land undermines public interest, and the main consideration for public
agencies is what is best and highest public interest. Furthermore, the government must
seek to expand rather than shrink public resources.
Acting on the principles and reforms listed above will require a combination of policy
commitment, institutional coordination and public accountability. The Government of
Maharashtra can take the lead by issuing a comprehensive Public Land Policy directive
that applies uniformly to all state and city-level agencies. This policy should be
accompanied by clear disclosure norms, standardised evaluation frameworks and
mandatory consultation processes.
This white paper represents a collective effort by the undersigned activists, planners,
researchers, and citizens who share a common concern for the equitable and sustainable
use of Mumbai’s public land
Why tech giants are offering premium AI tools to millions of Indians for free https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c14pr0enjr6o Nikita Yadav such offers are calculated investments...India has over 900 million internet users and offers some of the world's cheapest data. Its online population is young - most internet users are under the age of 24, belonging to a generation that lives, works and socialises online, using smartphones.
Bundling these AI tools with data packs creates a massive opportunity for tech companies given India's data consumption outpaces much of the world. The more Indians use these platforms, the more first-hand data companies can access.
- "Most users have always been willing to give up data for convenience or something free and that will continue,.. But this is where the government will have to step in. "Regulation will need to increase as authorities figure out how to manage the broader issue of people giving away their data so freely," says Mr Roy.
Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP) 2023 around digital media and privacy, is yet to be enacted...while the act introduces broad protections around personal data, its implementation rules are still pending and it does not yet address AI systems or algorithmic accountability.
From 'Anandamath' to the present, Vande Mataram reflects how a song born in devotion and marked by early exclusion has journeyed from hymn to ideology, revealing the uneasy link between faith and belonging in the making of the nation.
by Sreejith K.
07/11/2025
From Zohran Mamdani, Nehru and the forgotten thread of freedom https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/pratap-bhanu-mehta-writes-from-zohran-mamdani-nehru-and-the-forgotten-thread-of-freedom-10350358/ the working class — not the privileged elite — that heralded a genuinely open and cosmopolitan society. In contemporary parlance, one might say that the cosmopolitanism of the city is the cosmopolitanism of labour, not of capital... The ideological thread connecting these figures( Debs/Baldwin & Nehru) belonged to a historical moment we have largely forgotten — when civil liberties, anti-racism, socialism, open societies, and decolonisation were all considered part of a single emancipatory movement. Freedom and justice were indivisible...
Civil liberties, in this view, were a cause of the Left — distinguishing it from communism and far removed from today’s libertarian appropriation. What is so resonant about this connection is the reminder that civil liberties once meant defending even the rights of those accused of conscientious objection and treason. In an age when the definition of treason has expanded to the point that the very idea of a “political prisoner” has lost meaning, this history bears remembering.
In a climate of escalating religious polarisation across India, a counter-movement is gaining ground in West Bengal, where hundreds are uniting under the banner of atheism to champion rationalism, scientific temper, and constitutional rights. .https://thewire.in/society/amidst-countrywide-religious-polarisation-hundreds-unite-in-kolkata-to-champion-ration
On November 5, approximately 500 people from diverse walks of life, who describe themselves as atheists and rationalists, gathered in Kolkata for a conference, marking a significant consolidation of non-religious thought in the state.
by Joydeep Sarkar
06/11/2025
Our Data, Their Wealth — Why Privacy is the New Currency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2If9-ptKms&pp=ygUdbXVyYWxpIG5lZWxha2FudGFuaSBtb25leWxpZmU%3D
India is having a civil engineering crisis. Mumbai to Bihar, bridges to byways, highways to setu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XdYLujVsCQ
https://theprint.in/ground-reports/india-civil-engineering-crisis-mumbai-bihar/2762503/
One comment: from @tejakrishna532
The real problem India is having is the media crisis. Even the so-called independent media is hesitant to mention "corruption " as the headline. Why can't we name and shame the contractors??!
@RahulSharma-dq4yr
As a civil engineer let me tell you the problem, it is not that we engineers are not skilled or don't know how to work. These corrupt politicians see PWD and other engineering departments as their cash cow. This is their main income source for mostly everything. Their hold on these departments is so immense that it is not possible for an employee to do their work honestly and move society forward. The level of corruption these politicians do is 1000× more than people think. Our government currently is recruiting employees on outsource basis with in engineering wings with nobody knowing the merit of these people. Mostly these people are their known party workers or extended family. We hardworking candidates are not even given a chance to enter their as there is no fairness.
@ShibHater
I have done master in civil engineering. In my career I have noticed few important point
1. India requires Regional/climatic based Civil Engineering Code. Code which is suited to the local condition.
2. Easy clearance, total exemption on statuary levy
3. Control on mafia based contractors
4. Most important, Abolition of Lowest Quote Winner.
@PremP990
As a Civil Engineer I vehemently disagree with people in Coments saying that this is not a Civil Engineering crisis. It absolutely is. A proud civil engineer would never make such lousy infrastructure.
Civil engineers are underpaid and overworked more than anyone else in Engineering.
We also have no Avenue to start our own firms as only big businesses can afford them.
You will not see Civil Engineering start ups. You will see IT, Electronics, and even Mechanical engineering start ups but not Civil Engineering ones.
State of Civil Engineering and Civil Engineers is the reason for poor infrastructure. China has a lot of corruption but their infrastructure is superb. Corruption is a cost in project. It is not solely responsible for poor projects.
Kedar Anil Gadgil :We are a nation raised by angry men. Men who equated fatherhood with authority, not affection. Men who ruled their homes like small states, with fear, not fairness. Men who believed that to be loved was to be obeyed. Every Indian child has seen it: the father who beats his son for scoring less, who slaps him for answering back, who mocks him for crying. The boy who flinches learns early that pain is order, that silence is safety, that emotion is shame.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh0RwKEuGtQ
https://gettherapybirmingham.com/the-existential-psychology-of-viktor-frankl/ freedom of will, will to meaning, and meaning in life.
Viktor Frankl: Youngsters need challenges https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImonPWt7VOA . we are living in a society which seeks to virtually to satisfy and gratify each and every human need except for one need the most basic and fundamental need -- the need for meaning.
if there is a meaning , if it becomes cognizant of such a meaning then we are ready to suffer, offer sacrifices, undergo tension stress and so forth .. What young people need our ideals and challenges personal tasks..to begin with in the first place examples personal examples of challenges faced. Today teacchers, parents, leaders don't venture to confront them with anything because they might become angry . Neither parents nor school teachers are courageous enough to challenge them the hold or arouse tensions.
In the death camp, they gave him a number: 119104.
But the thing they tried hardest to kill became the very thing that saved millions.
1942. Vienna.
Viktor Frankl was 37 years old, a respected psychiatrist with a growing practice, a manuscript nearly complete, and a wife named Tilly whose laugh could fill a room.
He had a chance to escape to America. A visa. A way out.
But his elderly parents couldn't come with him. So he stayed.
Within months, the Nazis came for them all.
Theresienstadt. Then Auschwitz. Then Dachau.
The manuscript he'd spent years writing—sewn carefully into the lining of his coat—was torn away within hours of arrival.
His life's work. His purpose. Reduced to ash.
His clothes were taken. His hair shaved. His name erased.
On the intake form, there was only a number: 119104.
But here's what the guards didn't understand:
You can take a man's manuscript. You can take his name. You can take everything he owns.
But you cannot take what he knows.
And Viktor Frankl knew something about the human mind that would keep him alive—and give birth to a revolution in psychology.
He noticed a pattern.
In the camps, men didn't just die from starvation or disease.
They died from giving up.
The moment a prisoner lost his reason to survive—his why—his body would collapse within days. The doctors had a term for it: "give-up-itis."
But the men who held onto something—a wife to find, a child to see again, a book to write, a debt to repay, a promise to keep—they endured unthinkable suffering.
The difference wasn't physical strength.
It was meaning.
So Frankl began an experiment.
Not in a laboratory. In the barracks.
He would approach men on the edge of despair and whisper:
"Who is waiting for you?"
"What work is left unfinished?"
"What would you tell your son about surviving this?"
He couldn't offer food. He couldn't promise freedom. He had nothing material to give.
But he offered something the guards could never confiscate: a reason to see tomorrow.
One man remembered his daughter. He survived to find her.
Another remembered a scientific problem he'd been working on. He survived to solve it.
Frankl himself survived by mentally reconstructing his lost manuscript—page by page, paragraph by paragraph, in the darkness of the barracks.
April 1945. Liberation.
Viktor Frankl weighed 85 pounds. His ribs showed through his skin.
Tilly was gone. His mother—gone. His brother—gone.
Everything he'd loved had been murdered.
He had every reason to despair. Every reason to give up.
Instead, he sat down and began writing.
Nine days.
That's how long it took him to recreate his manuscript from memory—the one the Nazis had destroyed three years earlier.
But now it contained something the original didn't:
Proof.
Living, breathing, undeniable proof that his theory was true.
He called it Logotherapy—therapy through meaning.
The foundation was simple but revolutionary:
Humans can survive almost anything if they have a reason why.
"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." (He borrowed the words from Nietzsche, but he had proven them in hell.)
1946. The book is published.
In German, the title was "...trotzdem Ja zum Leben sagen"—"...Nevertheless Say Yes to Life."
In English, it became "Man's Search for Meaning."
The world wasn't ready for it. Publishers initially rejected it. "Too morbid," they said. "Who wants to read about concentration camps?"
But slowly, quietly, it began to spread.
Therapists read it and wept.
Prisoners read it and found hope.
People facing divorce, disease, bankruptcy, depression—they read it and discovered that their suffering could have purpose.
The impact was seismic.
The book has now been translated into over 50 languages.
It's sold more than 16 million copies.
The Library of Congress named it one of the ten most influential books in America.
But here's what matters more than sales numbers:
Countless people—people whose names we'll never know—have picked up this book in their darkest moment and found a reason to keep going.
Because Viktor Frankl proved something the Nazis tried to disprove:
You can strip away everything from a human being—freedom, family, food, future, hope—and there will still be one final freedom remaining:
The freedom to choose what it all means.
You cannot control what happens to you.
But you can always control what you make of what happens to you.
Today, Viktor Frankl is gone.
But in hospital rooms, in therapy offices, in prisons, in quiet moments when someone is deciding whether to give up or keep going—his words are still there:
"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."
"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances."
The Nazis gave him a number.
History gave him immortality.
Because the man who lost everything taught the world that meaning is the one thing no one can ever take away.
Prisoner 119104 didn't just survive.
He turned suffering itself into a source of healing.
And somewhere tonight, someone who's barely holding on will read his words and decide to hold on one more day.
That's not just survival.
That's victory over death itself.
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- A Cosmic Coincidence?