The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has extended the deadline for voluntary evacuation of shops, commercial premises and hutments at Mumbai’s Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Nagar redevelopment site to October 20, 2026.
The extension follows requests from affected occupants who met MHADA Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Sanjeev Jaiswal seeking additional time to move out. They raised concerns that immediate eviction or demolition could lead to financial losses. The deadline was also extended considering the ongoing Navratri and Dussehra period.
MHADA has cautioned that unauthorised structures whose occupants do not comply with the revised deadline could face eviction action according to applicable rules after October 20.
The move is part of efforts to accelerate the redevelopment of GTB Nagar, including the more than seven-decade-old Punjabi Colony, which has historically been home to Sikh and Punjabi refugee families who migrated from Pakistan following Independence.
The redevelopment project is being carried out by MHADA under a Construction and Development Agreement. According to the revised Draft Annexure-II, 121 non-residential occupants and hutment dwellers have been declared eligible for rehabilitation.
These eligible occupants will receive benefits under the applicable rehabilitation provisions. MHADA will also provide them with monthly rent of Rs 10,000 from November 1, 2026.
A further 196 occupants have been classified as conditionally eligible. They have been granted six months to submit the necessary documents and establish their eligibility for rehabilitation.
During this six-month period, the conditionally eligible occupants will also receive Rs 10,000 per month as rent. They will be required to complete the documentation process within the stipulated timeframe to establish their rehabilitation eligibility.
The revised evacuation schedule is intended to give occupants additional time to make arrangements while allowing MHADA to continue with the redevelopment process.
The GTB Nagar project remains part of broader efforts to redevelop ageing settlements and provide rehabilitation to eligible occupants. With the revised deadline now set for October 20, MHADA is expected to proceed with further action against occupants and structures that remain in place beyond the stipulated period.
The authority’s latest decision seeks to balance the concerns of affected occupants with the need to advance the long-pending redevelopment of the area.
Source: The Free Press Journal
