557 BDD Chawl residents in Mumbai get keys to new flats from CM Fadnavis

A total of 557 eligible residents of Mumbai's BDD Chawls have now received their new flats. Three rehabilitation buildings have been completed in the first phase of the N M Joshi Marg-Lower Parel BDD Chawl redevelopment project of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis distributed the keys to flats in these buildings.

The event was held at the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre in Mumbai. Fadnavis and other dignitaries symbolically handed over keys and possession letters to eleven residents.

Fadnavis said the state government, through several redevelopment projects including the BDD Chawls, is working to give the original Mumbaikars and people who have lived in the city for a long time a bigger, more open home of their own at the same place. According to him, giving homes to those who have preserved Mumbai's culture has brought satisfaction, and the original Mumbaikars will not be allowed to be pushed out of Mumbai.

The Chief Minister said the government decided to have MHADA carry out the redevelopment of the BDD Chawls instead of private developers. For this reason, what he called the largest urban renewal project in Asia is now taking shape on the ground. He said the government's aim in giving chawl residents good homes is not to make a profit. Priority is being given to providing as many facilities as possible.

Fadnavis also spoke of the history of the BDD Chawls. According to him, the chawl has seen many changes, and has witnessed the Samyukta Maharashtra movement as well as Mumbai's social, economic, cultural and labour movements. He said the chawl is a historic heritage because Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Lokmanya Tilak lived here.

The redevelopment had been stalled for several years. Proposals were coming in from several developers, but because of the difficulties of a redevelopment on this scale, work was not gaining the expected pace. Seeing that it would be hard to complete the project relying only on private developers, it was decided to make MHADA itself the developer. Work then began from 2017-18. Fadnavis said some obstacles came up along the way, but the work was not allowed to stop and was given fresh momentum.

In the BDD Chawls, many families lived across two to three generations in homes of about 160 square feet that lacked basic facilities. The government has taken the approach of giving these residents fully equipped homes of 500 square feet. The new flats are being provided with a living room, two bedrooms and essential amenities. Fadnavis expressed confidence that these homes will be a strong support for the families' coming generations as well.

He also spoke about police personnel. The decision to give homes for Rs 15 lakh to eligible police personnel who lived in the BDD Chawls for a long time before 2011 stands. Some police personnel are not eligible because of the post-2011 cut-off; the decision is to treat them as a special case and give them homes at construction cost. Fadnavis made it clear that the differences in price and the difficulties that have arisen in implementing this decision will be resolved by holding a meeting and finding the right way forward.

Finally, the Chief Minister appealed to residents to look after these homes as their family property once they receive the keys, and to take pride in them as the pride of generations. He said they should not sell their homes even if they are offered a good price, and should preserve this legacy for the next two to three generations.