India, Nov. 15 -- The decision to unlock and monetise vast tracts of government land - almost 18% of Mumbai's habitable area - has been condemned by prominent citizens and citizens' groups, who are calling it the "privatisation of the city's future".

In a letter to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar on Wednesday, urban planners, senior (retd) IAS, IPS and naval officers, environmentalists and activists have warned against the "irreversible transfer of public assets into private hands".

Titled "Citizens' concerns against privatisation of public land", the letter refers to the unlocking of land owned by both the central and state governments for development and massive redevelopment pr...