557 BDD Chawl families in Lower Parel receive keys to 500 sq ft homes from CM Fadnavis

After years of waiting, 557 families from the BDD Chawls at N M Joshi Marg in Lower Parel were handed the keys to permanent homes on Friday by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The ceremony took place at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre in Mumbai, with possession letters given out along with the keys. With Dhanteras and Diwali close, the families said the timing made the occasion sweeter.

Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar shared the stage with Fadnavis. In the presence of the chief minister and other dignitaries, keys were passed symbolically to 11 of the residents. The flats are in three rehabilitation buildings finished under the first phase of the redevelopment.

Fadnavis said the state wants people who belong to Mumbai to stay in Mumbai. His government, he said, is trying to give original Mumbaikars, and those who have lived in the city for many years, larger and better-equipped homes in the very localities where their families have lived for generations. "We will not let original Mumbaikars be pushed out of Mumbai," he said. He added that the government is committed to helping people own their homes while keeping the culture of the city intact.

The chief minister explained why the project was moved to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). Private developers, he said, struggled with a scheme of this size, and the work stayed stuck for several years. The government decided to make MHADA the developer, and work began in 2017-18. The scheme is counted among the largest urban redevelopment projects in Asia. Obstacles kept appearing, Fadnavis said, but the government never allowed work to stop.

Speaking of how life changes for the residents, Fadnavis recalled that many BDD Chawl families spent generations in cramped rooms of about 160 square feet, often lacking even basic facilities. Eligible residents now get homes of 500 square feet, each with a hall, two bedrooms and essential facilities. He said the new houses would give the coming generations a firm foundation. He urged residents not to part with their homes even if attractive offers come their way, and to hold on to them as family assets for the next two to three generations.

On police personnel, Fadnavis repeated that eligible policemen who lived in the BDD Chawls before 2011 will continue to be offered homes at Rs 15 lakh. Those who lost eligibility because of the 2011 cut-off will be treated as a special case, and the government will consider giving them homes at construction cost. A meeting will be called to resolve the price difference and other hurdles in carrying out the decision.

Shinde, who is also the Housing Minister, told the agencies involved to finish the redevelopment on schedule without any loss of quality. He said there would be no compromise on the rehabilitation flats or the facilities offered to residents, and that these homes should be on a par with premium projects built for sale. In his words, cluster redevelopment will bring not only houses but also open spaces, gardens, gyms, play areas for children and 23 other kinds of amenities.

Shinde also announced that the state will move to withdraw cases filed against young people during the agitations over the N M Joshi Marg redevelopment. He said amendments to the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations have quickened stalled MHADA and Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects. The government is also working so that residents receive their pending rent along with their homes. Looking beyond the chawls, he said the government plans a world-class public park of about 300 acres, joining 125 acres of the Mahalaxmi Racecourse with roughly 150 acres of land beside the Coastal Road.

Sunetra Pawar said getting possession of new homes around Dhanteras and Diwali was a double joy for the 557 families. She also recalled her late husband and the association he had with the matter, though the account of her remarks breaks off there.

The Lower Parel site on N M Joshi Marg spreads over 13.49 acres. It once held 32 chawls of ground plus three floors, where 2,560 tenants and residents lived in rooms of 160 square feet. Eligible residents, many of whom spent two or three generations in such rooms, are being given a 2BHK flat of 500 square feet carpet area through MHADA. The flats are free of cost and come with ownership rights, in rehabilitation buildings.

The flats are fitted with vitrified tiles, aluminium-frame windows, a granite kitchen platform, a fire-safety system and branded plumbing fittings. The buildings use earthquake-resistant technology. Every building has two passenger lifts and one fire lift, and CCTV cameras cover each floor. The complex also offers three levels of basement parking, a stilt area, a podium and wide staircases.

The work is being done in two phases, with 14 wings of 22-storey rehabilitation buildings planned in all. The first phase covers seven wings and a hospital building. The 557 flats handed over on Friday are in three of those wings. The other four wings, holding 684 flats, are in their final stage and are scheduled for completion in February 2026. Rehabilitation buildings take up about 65 per cent of the plot.

For the second phase, the eligibility of 1,200 shopkeepers across 15 chawls has been established. Those found eligible are receiving transit rent of Rs 39,000 a month while they wait.

The Lower Parel project is one part of a wider programme. In all, 195 chawls at Worli, Lower Parel and Naigaon are being redeveloped over 86 acres, and 15,593 residents are to be rehabilitated. Till now, 1,975 flats have been distributed in Worli and 1,401 in Naigaon. The 557 flats given out in Lower Parel add to that tally.