The state government, on Tuesday, appointed a three-member committee headed by Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) vice chairman and CEO to make recommendations to put on fast track the redevelopment of Bombay Development Directorate (BDD) chawls. There are 207 chawls situated at Worli, NM Joshi Marg, Naigaon and Sewree.
Housing Department desk officer MU Bharose, in a notification issued today, said that the committee will suggest the construction of buildings on open spaces to rehabilitate residents instead of transit camps at Worli and construction of multistorey buildings with separate buildings for parking by scrapping the original proposal for three basement parking. Further, the committee will make a recommendation to extend the deadline of June 28, 2017, fixed earlier for the handing over of illegal tenements.
The committee will submit a report by January 10.
A MHADA officer told the Free Press Journal, “The Worli BDD chawls comprise 121 chawls with 9,680 tenants. The construction of transit buildings was proposed, but now the committee will recommend multistorey buildings to rehabilitate residents permanently.’’
The committee comprises Public Works Department Secretary (roads) and Mumbai Housing and Area Development Board CEO. The committee was formed as per the directives given by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at the meeting he chaired on December 18, 2020.
However, the federation of organisations representing all BDD chawls has argued that the redevelopment will not take off unless MHADA carries out a comprehensive environment impact assessment of the areas where these chawls are situated. Federation President Raju Waghmare said, “MHADA should acquire consent from the individual tenant and enter into an agreement. The government should drop the Development Control Rule, which proposes that consent and agreement are not needed. It should go by the data of BDD chawls available with the Public Works Department instead of going in for a fresh survey.” He further added that the government should drop the condition with regard to giving evidence prior to 1996 by the tenants.
