The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) will require a minimum of Rs 5000 crores for the development of 14 villages belonging to the Khoni group of Kalyan taluka, which have been incorporated into the corporation's jurisdiction. Following a thorough review of all objections and suggestions, the government issued a notification to this effect on March 7, 2024.In 2022, the Urban Development Department made the decision to incorporate the fourteen villages into NMMC and issued a notification to this effect on September 12, 2022. Subsequently, objections and suggestions were sought, leading to the issuance of a final notification on March 7. From now on, the development of the area will be overseen by NMMC.
However, the civic body will require huge funds in the coming years to develop these villages on par with the existing NMMC areas. According to senior civic officials, these 14 villages lack basic amenities such as roads, water connections, sewerage systems, and electricity connections. "We will require Rs 5000 to 6000 crores of funds over the period for creating essential facilities like healthcare, sanitation, water supply, street lighting, schools, roads, and other infrastructure in these villages," stated a senior civic official. He further mentioned that a team has already conducted a survey of these villages once and updated the state government, showing willingness to include in NMMC. As per the decision, Dahisar, Mokashi, Walivali, Pimpri, Nighu, Navali, Vaklan, Yamali, Narivali, Vele, Nagaon, Bhandali, Uttarshiv and Goteghar villages have been included in NMMC.
These villages were previously under the jurisdiction of both NMMC. However, due to agitation by the villagers in 2007, it was decided to exclude them from NMMC. However, this decision resulted in issues with roads, water supply, and lighting in these villages. There has been a persistent demand for the re-incorporation of these villages into NMMC to ensure the provision of basic facilities. Even accessing these villages from NMMC poses a challenge, as they are separated by the mountains of Parsik Hill. To enhance connectivity and ensure faster access, the construction of a tunnel may be necessary in the future. Now, a separate development plan (DP) will need to be prepared for these villages, and infrastructure matching that of NMMC will have to be created. However, as the civic body had not received any taxes from these areas previously, the corporation will have to utilize its own funds for the development. It is anticipated that citizens of Navi Mumbai may not favor allocating their taxes to the development of the newly inducted villages. Laxman Patil, president of Chauda Gaon Sarv Pakshiya Sangharsh Samiti, expressed satisfaction that their decade-long demand has finally been fulfilled.
"Apart from basic infrastructure, access to drinking water remains a major issue," stated Patil. He noted that while KDMC provides bus services, they are limited to only a few villages. "Moreover, there are only two Zila Parishad schools, and many villages are situated approximately 5 km away from the highway," he added. These villages are organized into five group panchayats comprising a total of 14 villages. Villagers will hold a celebration on Sunday, informed Patil.