More than half of Mumbai’s slum land is now part of the city’s redevelopment pipeline, highlighting the scale of the ongoing transformation under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). According to SRA data, redevelopment projects covering 2,751 acres are either under construction or currently stalled, accounting for 56.35% of the city’s total 4,882 acres of slum land.
Of the total, redevelopment is actively underway on 2,156 acres, while projects spread across 595 acres have come to a standstill. The city currently has 1,202 active redevelopment projects covering 321,858 hutments, while another 271 stalled projects involve 89,153 hutments.
Pankaj Kapoor, Founder and Managing Director of Liases Foras, attributed the surge in redevelopment to multiple factors. “There is a huge spurt in the number of projects as well as the total acres under redevelopment. This has happened due to multiple factors, including policy interventions favouring revamp of such colonies, a dearth of land availability within Greater Mumbai limits, the opportunities Mumbai’s real estate provides, and most importantly, several of the slum colonies are on good and premium locations.”
However, Kapoor also warned of the increasing number of stalled projects. “Going by the historic numbers, usually, 20-25% of the real estate projects get stalled. However, in the case of slum revamp ones, the rate of stalled projects is higher. This indicates an unsafe and risky horizon ahead,” he said, adding that lower development potential in some projects may have affected their financial viability.
Despite the progress, nearly 285,000 hutments across 607 proposed projects covering 1,015 acres are still awaiting redevelopment. Since the SRA was established in 1995, 631 projects spanning 556 acres have been completed, rehabilitating around 294,000 families, while the future of another 309,989 hutments across 560 acres remains undecided.
Social activist Medha Patkar welcomed the pace of redevelopment but stressed that rehabilitation should prioritise residents’ welfare. “People in the slums should first be provided permanent accommodation, which the law already permits. However, the rent paid during project implementation should match micro market standards,” she said.
She also raised concerns over eligibility verification, adding, “People residing in such colonies are an integral part of Mumbai’s economy. Hence, the eligibility cut-off date should also be extended from the current January 1, 2000.”
The redevelopment programme forms part of the Maharashtra government’s vision of creating a “slum-free Mumbai”. Among the largest initiatives is the 101.36-acre Juhu Lane-Gilbert Hill cluster redevelopment project in Andheri West, which will rehabilitate over 28,000 slum dwellers.
Describing the project as a milestone, SRA Chief Executive Mahendra Kalyankar said, “The Juhu Lane’s slum cluster’s successful tendering process marks a watershed moment in Mumbai’s redevelopment journey. The enthusiastic participation of leading corporate groups is a strong endorsement of the government’s vision and the credibility of the SRA’s redevelopment framework. This project will become a model for future cluster redevelopment projects across Mumbai.”
Shraddha Kedia-Agarwal, Director at Transcon Developers, said, “With multiple rehabilitation and reconstruction projects progressing simultaneously, we are witnessing a decisive shift towards a more structured and scalable redevelopment model. Cluster redevelopment has the potential to address long-standing issues associated with fragmented redevelopment by enabling better planning, modern infrastructure, wider roads, enhanced social amenities and improved quality of life for residents.”
She added, “As policy support strengthens and approvals become more streamlined, we expect greater participation from credible developers, ultimately accelerating the pace of housing delivery and inclusive urban renewal across the city.”
Rajiv Agrawal, Promoter and Co-founder of Saarathi Realtors & Associates, said, “For years, SRA was the sole nodal agency, which often led to limitations in scale and pace. After policy amendments, including cluster redevelopment, the government aims to actually make Mumbai slum free and unlock hundreds of acres of underutilised land.”
Source: Hindustan Times
