New plan for BDD chawl revamp : Hindustan Times

Redevelopment project to be completed in seven years, to create 26,000 more homes

WE DO NOT TRUST THE MHADA, CONSIDERING ITS POOR TRACK RECORD. WE WANT TO UNDERTAKE THE PROJECT OURSELVES. AJAY NAKASHE, president, Akhil BDD Chawl Bhadekaru Mahasangh

MUMBAI: 

In a significant development that will change the face of the prime areas in the city, Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) has drawn up a fresh proposal to redevelop the BDD (Bombay Development Department) chawls.

Spread across a staggering 92.86 acres, the chawls are located Naiguam, Worli, Lower Parel and Sewri. These chawls are located in prime areas and this project aims to replace the crumbling structures with a plush township.

In the proposal submitted recently to the state government, Mhada plans to build 450-squarefeet with modern amenities flats for every tenant living in the 207 chawls. The development authority proposed that the revamp will be carried out in phases and will be done in seven years.

The project has the potential to generate 26,000 additional homes that can then be sold at affordable rates.

SS Zende, chief executive officer, Mhada, said the body will invite bids from contractors to undertake the job. “The project will be done in a transparent manner and we will also take the residents into confidence,” he said.

The redevelopment project will be undertaken under DCR 33 (9), which governs the cluster redevelopment scheme. Since the public works department (PWD) owns the land, the state can go ahead with the revamp and need not seek the residents’ consent.

This is not the first time such a project has been proposed; the idea to redevelop the chawls has been doing rounds for more than a decade now. But it never took off owing to a number of reasons including opposition from residents. The previous governments tried to undertake the project but failed. Now the BJP-led government, which came to power six months ago, decided to push for redevelopment of the chawls.

The BDD chawls were built between 1920 and 1925 by the British government to facilitate low cost housing for the economically weak. While people continue to live in the century-old structures, they have been facing several problems including leaky walls and ceilings.

The Akhil BDDC hawl Bhadekaru Mahasangh, an association of BDD chawl residents, said majority of the tenants are against Mhada undertaken the revamp. “We do not trust the Mhada, considering its poor track record. We want to undertake the project ourselves,” said Ajay Nakashe, president of the Mahasangh.