With the lease ending in 2022, the state awaits the centre's nod before issuing the final tender
The BDD chawl at Sewri redevelopment project has come under trouble over acquisition of land. According to a senior MHADA official, the land of BDD Sewri is leasehold land. "The central government has leased it to the state government, and it will end in 2022. We are concerned about legality of land issues. We want to address it before issuing the final construction tender. We wrote to the centre but have not yet got a reply," said the official, on the condition of anonymity.
Ravindra Waikar, state minister for housing, confirmed the land acquisition issue. "We even called a meeting to understand the issue and find solutions. I have asked the MHADA official to conduct an eligibility study of this Sewri area project by a private agency. Once we get the eligibility study of this central government leasehold land project, we will submit it to the centre and seek their final nod," Waikar told DNA.
He added, "We have to either renew the lease or find another way to redevelop this area. As per the development control rule (DCR) 1991, we have to also reserve the space for a garden, open space and school in this proposed redevelopment layout. We can construct a building up to 50 storeys with a total height of 150 metres."
Raju Waghamre, the Congress leader, said that the state government should take all precautions before demolishing the existing buildings and issuing the construction tender. "The redevelopment project should not get mired in controversy. That will delay the project and residents of the BDD chawl will suffer unnecessarily. The government should first get all permissions in place, and then the tender for redevelopment should be issued," Waghmare said.
...& ANALYSIS
- The century-old Bombay Development Department (BDD) redevelopment is a major development in the city but it has been facing several hurdles. The project was staggering for the last 15 years however the BJP-led government decided to undertake and complete it in the next seven years.
- The government has allotted FSI of 4 and the existing residents of the BDD chawls will get 500 sq ft of houses. This has been touted around Rs 16,000 crore redevelopment. The issues are mainly land acquisition, nod from the central government and approval of local residents.
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