Foras

Foras comes from Portuguese word 'foro' which means rent. The lands designated as Foras lands were also known as 'salt Batty grounds' and constituted of the lands used for agriculture that were reclaimed from sea waters. It was mostly inferior quality land. Foras referred to the rent in particular that was paid by a cultivator or person who was permitted to occipy the ground for the purpose of improving it but without any lease or a grant. Although the Government 'owned' the lands but in practise the rent paying tenants sold it to others also and thus treated it as their property. The holders of such lands were refered to as forasdars. To avoid this further letting and selling off, Government issued an order in April.1844 saying that the history of the origin of foras lands established that only it had the propriety over such lands.

The Foras lands were situated at Byculla, Parel, Worli, Upper and Lower Mahim, Dadar and Matunga with an area of 3,408 acres and 3,266 square yards.