Mumbai: The BMC has approved proposals for 34,329 housing units as part of its rehabilitation drive for project-affected persons (PAP) across Mumbai. The plan envisages constructing 5,000 to 10,000 tenements in each of 26 administrative ward. Of the total approved units, around 1,500 homes under Phase I will be handed over till March 2026, while the remaining units will be transferred in phases over the next two to five years, civic officials said.
Several bottlenecks in the alignment of existing roads are causing severe traffic congestion. Additionally, encroachments within the nullah (drainage channels) are delaying road-widening projects. For many infrastructure initiatives, the biggest challenge is the (PAPs), who are often reluctant to hand over their land or relocate. This issue was recently raised in the Improvement Committee, and members sought detailed information from the administration regarding the status and challenges of these projects.
Congress corporator Meher Haider highlighted the issue through a point of order and raised questions about this practice in the Improvement Committee meeting. Congress group leader Ashraf Azmi asked for detailed information on the current number of PAPs requiring housing, how many PAPs have been accommodated so far and where houses for PAPs are expected to be available. BJP corporator Deepak Tawde (BJP) alleged that under the Adjustment Reservation construction schemes, developers either rent out the apartments meant for PAPs to the Corporation or sell them among themselves, raising concerns about transparency and misuse.
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Sanjog Kabre, Joint Commissioner (Improvement), stated that the administration would initiate correspondence with the SRA Authority to obtain detailed information regarding the PAPs. He further noted that the committee appointed to oversee PAP matters holds review meetings every three months to monitor the situation. "The BMC administration continues to follow up with the SRA Authority on all PAP-related issues," he added. Following this update, the point of order raised by the members was recorded by the Improvement Committee Chairperson, Sandhya Doshi.
Currently, the BMC obtain homes for project-affected families from the SRA at just Rs. 12.5 lakh per unit. However, the Corporation has been purchasing flats from private developers at much higher costs, spending crores unnecessarily. Committee members questioned why the required homes are not being made available through the SRA.
The BMC has allocated Rs. 620.63 crore for PAPs in the 2025-26 budget, while Rs. 890 crore has been earmarked in the 2026-27 budget. These allocations are aimed at ensuring that infrastructure projects are completed on schedule and without delays.
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