Civic body, MMRDA vie for Kurla buildings lying vacant for past three years

The rehabilitation of these slums is key not only for the airport’s expansion, but also from the security point of view. However, a majority of the houses have been lying vacant gathering dust as the rehabilitation process was stalled owing to legal tangles.

Besides, the previous Congress-NCP government had also initiated the process to allow on-site rehabilitation of the slum dwellers. So far, about 700 families from Andheri’s Sahar area have been shifted here to make way for the Sahar elevated connector to the T2, new
airport terminal.

Ashwini Bhide, managing director, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), an offshoot of the MMRDA, said, “We will need houses to give accommodation to the project-affected people from the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro as well as other projects. Since the Kurla houses are now the property of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), we have written to the SRA asking for about 4,000 to 5,000 houses.

The BMC has also made a request, the SRA will now see how many can be allocated to which agency.”

Bhide said the transfer of houses is likely to be free of cost. Although the final figure is still in the works, the MMRC expects to shift about 1,000 slum dwellers and an equal number of tenants and home owners, as well as a few government offices for the 33.5 kmColaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro.

The project, which is one of Mumbai’s costliest transport-infrastructure works, is estimated to cost rs 23,136 crore. Similarly, the BMC has also had talks with SRA to get possession of the Kurla houses for its projects.

SVR Srinivas, additional municipal commissioner at the BMC said, “We need the houses to accommodate the people affected by our works in the eastern suburbs related to pipelines and roads.

Plus, we keep needing houses to even move people out of old and extremely dangerous buildings. We have asked for as many tenements as possible.” Srinivas said that the BMC has discussed the matter with SRA officials, but is yet to send a proposal.