₹2,800 Crore Thane TDR Dispute Deepens as Forest Department Counters TMC

The Maharashtra Forest Department has rejected Thane Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao's claim that the ₹2,800-crore Transferable Development Rights (TDR) dispute escalated because the department failed to challenge a Bombay High Court order in the Supreme Court within the prescribed time.

Senior forest officials said the proposal seeking approval to file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) remained pending with the state Law and Judiciary Department for nearly two months. They added that after the delay, the department initiated the process of filing the appeal in the Supreme Court on its own responsibility.

The disagreement surfaced during a heated Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) general body meeting, where corporators questioned the grant of TDR to D Dahyabhai and Co Pvt Ltd for land claimed by the forest department. While Commissioner Rao defended the civic body's actions and blamed the department for missing the deadline, forest officials maintained that the controversy began when the TMC initiated the Development Rights Certificate (DRC) process in June 2019 despite the ownership dispute being under litigation. They argued that the civic body's consent terms eventually led the high court to direct that 50% of the TDR be granted to the company.

The dispute concerns 193 acres of land at Chitalsar Pada-Manpada in Thane, acquired by the state in 1975 under the Maharashtra Private Forests (Acquisition) Act. The forest department says the land forms part of the eco-sensitive zone of Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

In February 2026, the Bombay High Court directed the TMC to issue TDR worth around ₹2,800 crore to the company for nearly 100 acres reserved as a public park. The TMC later approached the Supreme Court, but its petition was disposed of after the civic body informed the court that it had reached a settlement with the company.

The high-value land dispute has also acquired political significance in Thane, with reported differences among leaders of the ruling alliance adding to scrutiny over the controversial TDR decision.