One by one, old housing layouts built by the Maharashtra Housing Area and Development Authority (MHADA) are being swept away by the tide of redevelopment. The latest colonies to be affected are likely to be the 25,000 sqm Ram Krishna Nagar in Khar and the one lakh sqm Old MHB Colony on Gorai Road, Borivali.
Proposals for the redevelopment of these MHADA layouts have been sent to the Maharashtra government, after which the process to select the redeveloper will begin.
Aging buildings in poor condition, the chosen MHADA layouts are around 50 years old and have seen little development over the years. If approved for redevelopment, the prime locations will be transformed under the C&DA (construction and development agency) model, with the development agency taking over and developing the area holistically, with basic facilities, open spaces, and more. The land owning authority, MHADA, will receive either land premium or constructed homes, with the rest of the area for the developer’s sale purposes.
With no expenditure by MHADA involved, the authority is increasingly favoring this model of redevelopment.
Redevelopment has long been a demand of the residents of Old MHB Colony, Gorai Road, in Borivali. Spread across 1,03,405 sqm, the approximately 20 MHADA buildings on the plot have around 1,727 homes, with sizes between 225 to 450 sqft.
“There was a slab fall in one of the homes today, which fortunately did not lead to any injuries,” said Gopal Sawant, 60, whose family has flats in building number 18 and 21. Sawant moved into the colony when he was five years old. “Leaks are in every building, so everyone wants redevelopment.”
Manoj, a secretary of one of the buildings, echoed the view. “Every three years, the buildings undergo repairs.” The corporator of the area from the BJP, Shiva Shetty, noted that two-three buildings in the colony are in terrible condition.
For the past 15 years, talks of redevelopment with SBM Realtors have turned to a bitter end. “All those years ago,” said Sawant, “all the buildings gave the developer their consent for redevelopment. But nothing progressed; the residents lost hope, retracted their consent, and so did MHADA. An arbitration case is still ongoing in the court.”
Rumours of MHADA-led redevelopment are rife in the colony, but residents are skeptical and waiting on details. “Our main priority is that redevelopment happens quick, within the next 3 to 3.5 years,” said Manoj.
In comparison, Ram Krishna Nagar in Khar, near the Khar railway station in the west is over a much smaller area of around 25,234 sqm. Over 17 buildings, there are 234 homes in the locality, with sizes between 387 to 507 sqft. Once redeveloped, the residents will receive homes of sizes between 882 to 1,120 sqft.
Officials from MHADA said that the proposals for the redevelopment of these areas have been sent to the state government in May, and a response is awaited. Details of the scheme will be etched out once the response is in. After that, the development agency will be decided through a tender process, choosing an agency.
Redevelopment will be undertaken under the Regulation 33(5) or 33(9) of the Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR), 2034, offering an FSI of around 4, with additional fungible FSI.
Currently, other MHADA layouts such as Motilal Nagar in Goregaon and GTB Nagar in Sion are in redevelopment under the C&DA model, while BDD Chawls and PMGP Colony in Jogeshwari are being redeveloped by MHADA through contractors. For another three MHADA layouts in the earlier stages of redevelopment, Adani Properties was announced highest bidder for the locations in Bandra Reclamation and Adarsh Nagar, Worli, while a consortium of Hanura Realty, Chandak Realtors, Premsagar Infra Realty, and Vantier Realty is the front runner to redo SVP Nagar in Andheri West.
With no expenditure by MHADA involved, the authority is increasingly favoring this model of redevelopment. (File Photo/Enhanced using AI) 
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