August 16, 2025: With a slum-free Mumbai still an unfulfilled aspiration, the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has set up a dedicated Project Implementation Unit (PIU) with the ambitious goal of delivering over five lakh homes to slum residents within the next five years. This target is more than double the total of 2.75 lakh houses constructed since the SRA’s inception in 1996.
Officials highlighted that recent reforms, including the use of drone mapping and biometric surveys, have accelerated progress. In the last financial year alone, 16,673 homes were delivered, while in just 100 days, 16,017 units were completed. The overall target now stands at 5,09,783 homes by 2030, with 3.34 lakh units already under construction.
In a significant legislative move, the Maharashtra government recently amended the Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971. The change allows the SRA to recover unpaid rent owed to displaced slum dwellers directly from a developer’s assets, or even the personal property of company directors and partners, if required. Outstanding rent will now be treated as arrears of land revenue, enabling the attachment and sale of properties to ensure payments.
SRA CEO Sanjeev Kalyankar said the agency was focused on achieving the 2030 target. “We have undertaken reforms to fast-track stuck projects, including an amnesty scheme and joint ventures with other government agencies. A list of eligible developers and architects has been prepared, while digital systems have reduced delays. Policies now empower consultants to issue approvals, ensuring rehabilitation projects are not suspended unless ordered by the courts,” he noted.
The SRA was created following recommendations of the Afzulpurkar Committee in 1995. Nearly half of Mumbai’s population, across 2,397 clusters, still resides in slums—making rehabilitation one of the city’s most pressing challenges.
Source: Times Of India
