Mumbai is set for one of its largest urban renewal exercises in recent years, with the Maharashtra government and the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) identifying 19 major slum clusters for redevelopment under a newly introduced cluster-based housing policy covering contiguous land parcels of more than 50 acres.
The initiative aims to unlock large-scale redevelopment in densely populated areas where fragmented projects have struggled to progress. Key locations identified under the programme include Andheri West, Govandi, Mankhurd, Sion, Wadala, Goregaon West, Vikhroli Parksite, Borivali and Dahisar.
One of the most significant projects is a nearly 100-acre cluster around Gilbert Hill in Andheri West. The site comprises over 14,000 hutments along with residential buildings and adjoining land parcels. Officials have already floated tenders for this project, making it among the first developments to advance under the new policy framework.
The scheme applies to private, government and semi-government land parcels where slums occupy more than 51% of the total area. Unlike conventional redevelopment models, the framework allows the inclusion of slums, cessed and dilapidated buildings, tenant-occupied structures, vacant plots unsuitable for standalone development and select non-slum properties to facilitate integrated planning.
The state government has said the objective is to improve housing conditions, civic infrastructure and public amenities through coordinated redevelopment of large urban pockets rather than isolated projects.
Earlier, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde informed the Legislative Council that the first phase covered locations such as Antop Hill, Krishna Nagar, Ketkipada, Oshiwara, Govandi, Chita Camp, Tagore Nagar and Bhandup. The policy was subsequently approved by the state Cabinet and formalised through a government resolution.
Projects may be executed through public agencies including the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority, City and Industrial Development Corporation and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, or through private developers selected via tenders.
Officials said the cluster redevelopment model is expected to play a key role in addressing Mumbai’s housing shortage, ageing settlements and infrastructure gaps, with additional clusters likely to be added in future phases.
Source: Prop News Time
