In response to an order from the state government, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has started to revive 17 Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects that have been postponed throughout Mumbai. According to MHADA Vice-President and CEO Sanjeev Jaiswal, among these, the Sai Baba Housing Society in Jogeshwari has already gotten a Letter of Intent (LOI), while the others are still going through the approval and paperwork procedures.
To accelerate redevelopment, MHADA will soon invite tenders for the first project, with subsequent tenders to be floated for the remaining ones to appoint contractors. In collaboration with the SRA, the housing authority is working to revive stalled slum redevelopment projects across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
Under Section 13(2) of the Slum Rehabilitation Act, eight projects have already been taken away from their original developers as part of this plan. These consist of two projects in Bandra, five in Kurla, two in Borivali/Dahisar, and twelve in Goregaon. Five further projects on MHADA-owned property are also undergoing feasibility studies.
In addition to evaluating the number of dwellings needed for citizens impacted by these halted projects, MHADA hopes to generate about 25,000 more housing units through these rehabilitation activities. With 14,000 slum inhabitants, the Malvani Malad rehabilitation is the largest of the restoration projects.
Jaiswal has directed officials to deploy more personnel and perform biometric surveys of all people to accelerate the process. MHADA will take action to enhance connectivity in places with insufficient access roads. To ensure a smooth and effective rehabilitation process, a defined timeline has been established for doing biometric surveys of slum residents living on MHADA-owned land.
Source: The Indian Express
