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The ambitious redevelopment project of Bombay Development Directorate (BDD) chawls has a new completion date of 2026. The revised timeline was announced after a recent site visit by MHADA vice-chairman Sanjeev Jaiswal to assess the project's progress. The BDD Chawls initiative covers three locations: NM Joshi Marg, Naigaon, and Worli, spanning 12 acres. These chawls, originally built by the British over a century ago.
BDD chawals consists of several 160 square feet houses with shared restroom facilities on each floor. As part of the redevelopment plan, tenants will now receive 500 square foot homes with attached toilets and a host of other amenities accommodated in high-rise towers.
Contracts for the redevelopment were first issued for NM Joshi Marg and Naigion in 2017 and then for Worli in 2019. Tenants were offered a monthly transit rent of Rs 25,000/- which several deemed inadequate, given the prime location of the project. The alternative accommodation provided in Sewri was said to be insufficient to accommodate all tenants of the chawls. In spite of rent provisions offered by MHADA to address the situation, the transition was slow.
This ambitious redevelopment project was initially proposed during the tenure of the BJP-Shiv Sena government led by Devendra Fadnavis. Over the years, the project has suffered criticism and multiple delays. During Ganesh Chaturthi last year, the government delivered several houses to police staff at BDD Chawls at subsidised rates. This initiative was critised by the opposition as it offered subsidised rather than free housing to the police staff.
In January 2023, the CEO and vice-president of the Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (MHADA) announced that six 40-storey buildings would be ready for occupation by December 2024. The initial beneficiaries of these 500-square-foot living spaces will be eligible tenants from these six buildings, totalling over 9,500 tenants eligible for housing throughout the chawls.
In summary, the BDD redevelopment project, despite its various challenges and delays, is moving forward with a new completion deadline set for 2026. This project represents a significant step in modernizing the century-old chawls and offering improved amenities to tenants, bringing positive changes to the housing landscape in the area.
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