. 26
But although it is in connection with, this southern area that the
attention oí the town-planner will be most profitably directed in the meanwhile,
no one who has visited the islets of the west coast, of which Mr. Mead writes
with such enthusiasm, can fail to see in some of them the most ideal of all
sites for a garden city. With those which could most easily he made accessible
from the B. B. and C. I. Bailway the great difficulty is that of inducing owners
or occupiers of the land to allow development to take place. The Khot of
Juhu is represented by some twenty odd individuals, so it is small wonder that
this beautiful little island, so close to the railway, and so healthfully situated,
remains totally undeveloped. Yesava, on the other hand, has already been
largely taken up. For a garden city, to be developed as a whole, say by a
company, and in connection with which boating and golf throughout the year,
could be provided for its sporting residents, the village lands of Malavni would
be decidedly the most suitable, could the difficulty be got over of inducing
occupiers of agricultural land to allow development ; that is to say, development
as opposed to the mere dotting about of the peninsula with bungalows on
available bits of land. A copy of the village map, showing the tenure of the
lands, accompanies this report. There is water-suppy enough to allow building
to start, but not to go on far, and it would depend on what was thought now
of the future prospects of Malavni whether it was considered advisable to
attempt to make provision for its future needs in projecting the water-supply
for the South of Salsette. Instructions might meanwhile be given that Govern-
ment land at Malavni should not be sold for agricultural purposes.
Communication with the railway would have to be provided by petrol
or electric tramway along about 4 1/2 miles of road already constructed up to part
of its width, between Marva village and Malád Station.
Building-stone and lime are available in abundance locally, and as a
brick and concrete factory is about to be built on the coast in the neighbour-
hood the question of building materials would present no difficulty.
A very little reclamation would link up with Malavni the neighbour-
ing villages of Charkop, Marva and Aksa.
It is not necessary in this report to go into the subject of the suitabi-
lity of the other village lands of the west coast, which, unlike Malavni, would
mostly have to be reached by the bridging of creeks. It would only be after
the development of Malavni that their future would have to be thought of.
It is only necessary in concluding this report to point out that it is not
alone in Salsette that it is worth while to bear in mind in connection with
building sites that relation of physiography to Malaria which is so striking a
feature of the climate of the Konkan, but which there has not previously been
an opportunity of demonstrating in any detail. His experience of this relation
has been of considerable use to the writer already in giving an opinion regard-
ing the different places suggested as the new head-quarters of a district, and
there may often be smaller locations to be selected, such as that for a Police
post, for example, where a difference of position, quite within the limits of
administrative feasibility, might make a very considerable difference to the
health and efficiency of those whose duties called them to occupy it.
J. L. MARJORIBANKS
Major, I. M. S.
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