The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) on March 16 handed over keys to 864 flats to eligible residents of the Naigaon BDD Chawl project, rehabilitating tenants under the redevelopment of the Bombay Development Directorate (BDD) chawls in central Mumbai. The authority aims to rehabilitate around 15,000 families by 2029 as part of the larger project.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis distributed the keys to beneficiaries and said around 1,000 acres of land have been opened up for cluster redevelopment in Mumbai to ensure residents are rehabilitated within the city.
These flats are part of the first phase of the Naigaon BDD Chawl redevelopment undertaken by MHADA’s Mumbai Building Repairs and Reconstruction Board. The redeveloped complex, named the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar BDD Complex, spans 6.45 hectares. The Naigaon BDD complex currently houses 3,344 tenants in 42 ground-plus-three-storey chawls. Under the redevelopment plan, 20 23-storey rehabilitation towers will be constructed in two phases.
What is the BDD Chawl redevelopment project?
The BDD Chawls were built in the 1920s by the British to provide low-cost housing in Mumbai. There are more than 200 chawls spread over 37 hectares in four areas that are part of the BDD Chawl. Of this, Worli has around 22.14 hectares, NM Joshi Marg has 5.46 hectares, and Naigaon has 6.45 hectares. Around 2.32 hectares is also spread across Sewri in Central Mumbai; however, that land is under the Central government and not part of the BDD Chawl redevelopment project of the Maharashtra government.
The Maharashtra government had made MHADA the nodal agency for the redevelopment of the project around a decade ago, and in 2017, appointed Larsen & Toubro to redevelop the BDD chawls at Naigaon in Dadar, while the contract to redevelop the chawls of NM Joshi Marg in Lower Parel has been awarded to Shapoorji Pallonji Group.
Around 15,000 families lived in the BDD chawls, with rooms measuring about 160 sq ft. The tenants of this chawl are entitled to a flat with a carpet area of 500 sq ft.
MHADA hands over keys to over 800 tenants of Naigaon
On March 16, MHADA handed over keys to more than 800 tenants part of the BDD Chawl redevelopment project who were residing in the Naigaon area of Dadar in Central Mumbai. In Naigaon, 3,344 tenants reside across 42 chawls (tenement blocks), each comprising a ground floor plus three upper floors situated on a 6.45-hectare plot.
According to MHADA, under the BDD Chawl redevelopment project, which is being implemented in two phases, 20 rehabilitation buildings, each standing 23 stories tall, are being constructed. In the first phase, 1,401 residents from Plot ‘B’ of the Naigaon BDD Chawl complex are set to be rehabilitated. As part of this phase, keys to 864 flats across five of the eight rehabilitation buildings were handed over on March 16.
“I appeal to the tenants of the BDD chawl to not sell their apartments, which are going to be in a prime area of Central Mumbai. We have opened up approximately 1,000 acres of land in Mumbai as part of the city’s cluster redevelopment plan,” Fadnavis said at the event.
Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, who also holds the Housing Department portfolio, said, “The tenants will be given 500 sq ft 2 BHK homes, and I hope tenants do not sell them. For the next 12 years, the MHADA will also undertake maintenance of the building. Hence, tenants do not have to worry about the same.”
According to MHADA, these rehabilitated apartments are equipped with numerous amenities, including vitrified tiles, aluminium-framed windows, granite kitchen countertops, fire-fighting systems, and branded plumbing fixtures. Constructed using earthquake-resistant technology, these buildings feature two passenger lifts and one fire lift; for security purposes, a CCTV surveillance system has also been installed on every floor. This project includes a three-level basement parking facility, a stilt area, and spacious staircases.