Bhayandar: Mira Bhayandar’s contentious cluster redevelopment plan continues to face political heat, with the Congress now joining the chorus of opposition alongside BJP and the Shiv Sena (Shinde).

Accusing the ruling BJP-led government of forcefully imposing the cluster redevelopment scheme to benefit builders at the cost of residents’ rights, Mira Bhayandar District Congress President Pramod Samant said, “Thousands of residents who have lived in their societies for decades are being kept in the dark. The government is pushing this scheme with harsh conditions to serve builder interests, not the people.”

Samant made these remarks after receiving a representation from the Rani Sati Marg Rahivasi Sangharsh Samiti. Members Mukesh Mehta, Bipin Mehta, Jagdish Sharma, and Hema Patil submitted a memorandum to senior Congress leader and former MLC Muzaffar Hussain, requesting legal support to halt the implementation.

Accepting the memorandum on Hussain’s behalf at the Congress Bhavan office, Congress Vice President Aafreen Sayyed assured residents that the party would explore legal remedies to ensure justice. “The Congress stands with the people. We will fight this legally to protect their homes and rights,” she asserted.

Alleging that the cluster redevelopment was a “pro-builder scheme that ignored public sentiment,” Congress district spokesperson Prakash Nagane claimed that “under the guise of redevelopment, the ruling alliance is imposing restrictive norms to tighten control over housing societies.”

Currently under administrative rule, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has seen its redevelopment policy mired in controversy. Despite two years of discussions, the scheme remains largely on paper with no significant ground-level progress.

While the plan aims to revamp dilapidated buildings and improve urban infrastructure, residents argue many structures are still structurally sound and should not be forcibly included. BJP MLA Narendra Mehta has already called for the plan’s cancellation. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MLA and Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has urged the state to adopt a flexible approach and include smaller cluster options and amendments to the draft plans.

The project, divided into 37 sectors, covers areas marked by aging buildings, unplanned layouts, and infrastructural challenges. However, without broad public approval and transparent execution, the cluster redevelopment initiative appears set for continued political and civic resistance.