The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has provided 97,368 homes to Project-Affected People (PAPs) across Mumbai since its inception in 1995, official data shows. These homes have been constructed under slum redevelopment schemes, which require private developers to build additional rehabilitation units based on the population density of a slum. Once completed, the flats are handed over to implementing agencies—primarily the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA)—at a fixed cost of ₹12.5 lakh per unit.
In recent initiatives, the SRA allocated 111 homes to families living illegally inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, addressing an issue that has remained unresolved for decades and attracted repeated intervention from the Bombay High Court. While these families have now been resettled, officials estimate that thousands of encroachments still exist within the park.
Additionally, 62 flats were handed over to PAPs displaced due to the development of the Annabhau Sathe memorial in Ghatkopar. Over the past year, another 211 homes were allocated to families affected by the construction of the new Bombay High Court complex in Bandra East.
A closer look at the overall distribution shows that 26,762 homes went to the BMC, while 51,888 units were transferred to the MMRDA. Projects linked to metro expansion alone accounted for the resettlement of 11,429 families, while 8,909 units were directly allotted to PAPs by the SRA.
Officials emphasised that rehabilitation housing has been essential in enabling Mumbai’s large-scale infrastructure projects over the past three decades. At the same time, they acknowledged that the demand for such housing continues to exceed supply, highlighting the ongoing challenge of balancing urban redevelopment with the needs of displaced communities.
Source: The Free Press Journal
