Without nod to cut trees, BDD Chawls redevelopment project may be delayed

According to senior officials in MHADA, a work order for commencement of work on the project will be issued soon, but construction work is expected to be delayed as permission for cutting or transplanting trees has not been received.

“We submitted a plan last month to the Tree Authority for permission to cut 253 trees and transplant 372 trees that are in the project area of BDD Chawl World,” said the official. The Tree Authority is yet to pass an order on the proposal, said sources.

Last week, the High Court restrained the Tree Authority from giving permission to cut trees except in cases of emergency. The High Court said the absence of an independent expert member on the committee is not in consonance with the law.

Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta told The Indian Express that the BMC would follow orders of the High Court. “A final call on the Tree Authority will be taken soon,” he said.

The BDD Chawls Redevelopment Project is seen as a likely model for other brownfield redevelopment projects and urban renewal projects involving old buildings in Mumbai, with an anticipated creation of 26 million sqft of real estate. The project is set to be completed in phases, over a period of eight years.

The BDD Chawls were set up in 1920 by the Bombay Development Directorate: 121 chawl buildings with 80 rooms each, built to cater to a growing need for affordable housing in Central Mumbai in the 1920s. The redevelopment project envisions construction of approximately 98 buildings for free-sale apartments and rehabilitation homes, with the buildings ranging between 22 floors and 66 floors.