The demand for housing among Project Affected People (PAP) due to civic projects has surged, with the number of families seeking relocation doubling from 35,000 in 2019 to 74,752 this year. The increase is attributed to ongoing and upcoming civic ventures like the widening of Lal Bahadur Shastri Road and the Goregaon Mulund Link Road.
The state government’s extension of rehabilitation for structures built post-2000 has further fueled the demand. The BMC, however, faces challenges with only a limited number of available tenements, leading to the initiation of new housing projects across Mumbai.
Joint Municipal Commissioner Ramesh Pawar explained, “The number of estimated families has risen due to BMC’s planned civic projects. The projects displacing people include the widening of the Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Road in the eastern suburbs. There are also development projects like the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR).”
The impact extends to projects such as the ongoing Mithi river widening, removal of encroachments along the main water pipeline, and the proposed Versova Dahisar Link Road, affecting numerous households.
In response to the growing demand, the BMC has initiated plans to construct 35,000 houses for PAP in Mumbai. Each of the seven administrative zones will house at least 6,000 homes for PAP. Additionally, recent approvals include a proposal to transform a 20-acre plot in Andheri West into 10,000 homes for PAP, a project in Kanjurmarg for 4,000 houses, and 8,000 houses in Mulund East. However, a project in Chandivli for 4,000 homes was canceled due to construction delays.
Despite these efforts, the BMC faces challenges with only 2,113 tenements received from various authorities, including the SRA and the Shiv Shahi Rehabilitation project, and 3,019 tenements built by the BMC. Approximately 11,000 homes for PAP are vacant due to a court-issued stay order, while some families are hesitant to leave their original residence areas.
The projects are executed under a policy where the BMC provides Transferable Development Rights (TDR) or credit notes to contractors, paying Rs 30 lakh to Rs 35 lakh for each 300-square-feet tenement.