The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has invited tenders to build 2,068 homes at Devanar for Project Affected People (PAP). Each flat will be 300 square feet and the project will cost 682.83 crore.
Manoj Patil, assistant engineer (building construction), eastern suburbs, said the plots fall in M East Ward and are popularly known as ‘600 Tenaments’. They are owned by the BMC’s Estate Department. “As per our plan, six buildings will be constructed on these two plots. Each building will be 25 storeys,” he said.
Tenders will be distributed between August 13 and September 2 and bidders will have to pay Rs 6.82 crore as security deposit. An Estate Department official confirmed that the homes are being built for PAPs.
The municipality regularly undertakes various projects to improve the infrastructure of Mumbai, widening roads, expanding Mithi River and nullahs, constructing flyovers, and laying new water and sewage pipelines, etc.
The Estate Department gives alternative homes for people affected by these projects, while the Market Department give alternative places for Project Affected Shops. Providing these new homes to PAPs will allow the BMC to expeditiously complete development projects. This project can also be an option for those who refuse to go to Mahul, an area that has a number of resettlement projects but which is also plagued by pollution.
As of now BMC needs more than 36,000 homes under the PAP scheme, but it lacks space to build them. Therefore, the BMC has decided to take plots from builders and give them transferable development rights, instead of money
