After months of uncertainty following the demolition of hundreds of structures at Bandra East’s Garib Nagar, rehabilitation has moved forward with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) beginning the handover of alternative homes to eligible families.
The rehabilitation covers 100 families identified as eligible after the clearance of railway land required for the expansion of Bandra Terminus. On the first day of the latest allotment process, MMRDA issued possession letters to 94 families with the remaining six expected to receive their letters shortly.
Of the 100 beneficiaries, 84 families are being accommodated at the Bhandari Metalurgy rehabilitation project, while 16 families have been allotted homes at the HDIL Kurla project. The allotments are being processed through MMRDA’s computerised flat-allotment centre and e-rehabilitation system.
The move follows the Western Railway’s demolition drive in Garib Nagar earlier this year, during which around 500 structures were removed. Of the structures affected, 100 were identified as eligible for rehabilitation, while the remaining 400 were classified as ineligible following surveys, verification and the judicial process.
The rehabilitation process had faced delays, particularly over occupancy certificates for the rehabilitation buildings. Earlier, some families had received allotment letters but were still awaiting possession of their homes.
With possession letters now being issued, MMRDA is moving towards completing the rehabilitation of all 100 eligible families. The development also clears a key step in the wider process linked to the removal of encroachments from railway land being used for the Bandra Terminus expansion.
Source: Times of India
