Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday inaugurated the first phase of the Worli BDD Chawl Redevelopment Project, a landmark initiative touted as one of Asia’s largest urban renewal programme. The event, held at Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha in Matunga (West), saw Fadnavis hand over keys to newly constructed flats to 556 eligible residents. Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, along with senior minister and officials, were present at the ceremony.
Details Of The Mega Project
The redevelopment, undertaken by MHADA’s Mumbai Housing and Area Development Board, marks a historic step in rehabilitating long-time chawl residents into modern homes. The first phase covers residents from D and E wings of Building No. 01. Currently, 9,689 residents from 121 old chawls in Worli are set to be rehabilitated, with 65 per cent of the total land earmarked for this purpose.
Eligible residents, who previously lived in 160 sq ft rooms, are being provided ownership of spacious 2BHK flats with a carpet area of 500 sq ft, completely free of cost. The redevelopment plan envisions 34 rehabilitation towers of 40 storeys each, each flat coming with a stilt-plus-six-level podium parking and landscaped gardens on the seventh floor.
A Self-Sufficient Modern Township
The ambitious project will create a self-contained township with facilities such as a commercial complex, schools, hospitals, gyms, hostels, and sustainable infrastructure including sewage treatment plants, solar energy systems and rainwater harvesting. MHADA will maintain the rehabilitated buildings for the next 12 years.
In a nod to the BDD’s century-old legacy, heritage spaces like Jamboree Maidan and Ambedkar Maidan will be preserved, and one old chawl building will be converted into a museum to showcase the history of BDD chawls.
Transit Support & Expansion Plans
Residents have been moved to temporary transit accommodations or have opted for a monthly rent allowance. Eligible occupants are receiving an advance rent of Rs 25,000 per month for 11 months.
By December this year, MHADA aims to complete an additional 3,989 flats across all three BDD redevelopment sites, Worli, N.M. Joshi Marg and Naigaon. Across the 86-acre project footprint, 207 chawls housing 15,593 residents are slated for redevelopment. The N.M. Joshi Marg site will include 14 rehabilitation buildings for 2,560 units, while Naigaon (Dadar) will feature 20 rehabilitation buildings for 3,344 units.
