The much-awaited redevelopment project of ‘Chikhalwadi chawl’ is finally taking shape. The project, which was delayed for 13 years, will now be a jointly constructed by builder Rajendra Chaturvedi of M/s Shreepati Skies and Man Infraconstruction.

Joint secretary of the chawl’s committee, Suraj Shetty, said, “We are the third generation living here and we hope that the place goes for redevelopment. After 13 years, the developer Shreepati, along with Man Infraconstruction Ltd, will develop the Mhada acquired land under the cluster development scheme. As per the new government notification, we will be getting a carpet area of 584 sq ft.”

FPJ was the first to report on how the project was delayed for over a decade. Of the 276 chawl owners, 150 tenants who moved out were facing a lot of hardships as they were not paid rent. However, now the Mumbai building Repairs and Redevelopment Board (MBRRB) of Mhada has issued a no-objection certificate to the builder to approach the HPC for necessary approvals. Also, the pending rent arrears, amounting to Rs 5.5 crore, have been paid to residents, said Shetty. Each tenant will now be receiving a rent amount of Rs 20,000.

Chikhalwadi chawl is one of the oldest in the city as it dates back to over 100 years.

It is spread across 1.54 acres in Tardeo, south Mumbai. Currently, 80 to 90 families live in these old roof-thatched homes.

One of the biggest hurdle in the redevelopment project was the mandatory 18-m road width to carry out the cluster development scheme (CDS) as per 33(9) of the new development control regulation.

The builder had asked for permission to carry out the project as per the old DCR that allows CDS with a road width of 12 m. Following the July 8 notification issued by the Urban Development Department, the decks for CDS with 12-m road width has been cleared.

Speaking to FPJ, Chaturvedi said, “We were waiting for the government’s policy. Ultimately, on July 8, the policy was announced. So, the project has now become feasible.”