The “unintended city”—vast, dense, working-class districts whose sanitary turmoil had contributed to the spread of the bubonic plague in 1896—caused the “sanitary disorder,” which Mumbai’s iconic BIT Chawls evolved as a remedy for. This may sound like an epic irony.
These low-rise, spreading tenements were constructed by the Bombay Improvement Trust (BIT), which was founded in 1898 by the British government during the colonial era and served as a model for town planning a century ago. Dispersed over the island city’s Mandvi, Dongri, Mazgaon, Mumbai Central, Agripada, Parel, and Matunga neighbourhoods, they changed the urban landscape of Mumbai and played a significant role in its social and architectural history. At the time, it was the most ambitious mass rehousing project.
For some of Mumbai’s oldest chawls, the 133 BIT Chawls, which now house 9,356 residential and 440 commercial apartments, life has finally gone full circle. These chawls, which are once again a part of an urban redevelopment, are in a vulnerable state and pose a threat to the lives of its tired people. This time, however, they are a layer of Mumbai that is in need of rescue rather than a solution.
Following independence, the BIT Chawls were maintained and leased by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The good news is that they have received 67 suggestions for reconstruction. Unfortunately, not a single project has been finished.
According to Mumbai’s rehabilitation paradigm, the BIT Chawls at Chandanwadi, Marine Lines, were demolished nearly 20 years ago to make room for towers that would rehouse residents and feature apartments for open market sale. The 658 residential units in these six chawls were to be replaced with new, 405-square-foot dwellings for families. The property is still unoccupied today, the builders’ transit rent has long since ceased, and the residents are unsure about their new residences. They accuse the builder of lacking openness, allegedly raising the towers’ height among other things to make more apartments available for public sale.
The BMC’s lack of specific jurisdiction to supervise redevelopment presents another difficulty. Experts note that in MHADA, for example, the Building Approval Cell of the housing agency approves redevelopment projects. The “single-window” method has significantly accelerated the approvals procedure.
Source: Hindustan Times
