July 22, 2025: After nearly 25 years in the making, the long-delayed redevelopment of Mumbai’s century-old Bombay Development Directorate (BDD) chawls is finally gaining momentum. Spread across 34 hectares, the project will see its first set of homes handed over to residents by 15 August, according to officials from the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).
Established in the 1920s by the British to house mill workers, dock labourers, and junior government staff, the BDD chawls have long outlived their purpose. Overcrowding and deteriorating structures made redevelopment urgent, yet progress was stalled for decades. It was only in 2016 that the Maharashtra government appointed MHADA as the nodal agency under an EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) model to execute the Rs 17,085 crore project.
Now, 556 apartments, each measuring 500 sq ft, are ready for possession, with thousands more under construction across three sites—Worli, Naigaon, and NM Joshi Marg. The Worli site is the largest, with over 9,600 tenants, and construction is underway on 3,888 units. At Naigaon and NM Joshi Marg, 1,940 and 1,280 tenements are in progress, respectively.
A key challenge has been winning the trust of residents, many of whom were sceptical of the government’s ability to deliver. MHADA has responded by offering monthly rental allowances of Rs 25,000 to those who chose not to relocate to transit housing, along with one parking spot per flat.
While MHADA aims to complete 25% of the project by December 2025, the full redevelopment is expected by 2028, with extended deadlines set for each site due to initial delays in tenant relocation. Officials remain hopeful that as more homes are delivered, public confidence will grow and the redevelopment effort will accelerate further.
Source: The Print
