Environmentalists are unhappy with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s plan to develop salt pan lands in the city. According to available data, there are around 5,500 acres of salt pan lands, with most of it coming under the non-development zone. Salt pans are mainly located between Mulund and Kanjurmarg and at Ghatkopar, Trombay, Mandale, Turbhe, Wadala, Malvani and Dahisar. In the Development Plan 2034 for the city, there is a suggestion to develop salt pan lands for affordable housing.

Experts claim that construction on salt pans will be disastrous for the environment. In a report that generated significant response, given the hot button that saving the environment is, experts have spoken out about  salt pans working as a buffer between land and the sea. Salt pans act as water-holding areas during the monsoon, which prevents waterlogging in some parts of the city. Development will spell the end of mangroves and the ecosystem, said another expert.