Mumbai: Villagers were waiting to be resettled in Aarey colony

Project to build 25,000 houses for the Malad residents inside Aarey has been stalled for lack of bidders to MHADA's tender that had been floated last year

Around 4,000 houses in Pimpripada and Ambedkar Nagar have been identified by MHADA for the resettlement project. Pic/Satej Shinde

The rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) of residents at Malad's Pimpripada and Ambedkar Nagar in Kurar village that has been stuck for months, could have probably saved many lives lost in Monday night's wall collapse. Residents of the two areas, part of SGNP's peripheral land, were supposed to be shifted to houses in Aarey Milk Colony but no bidders have shown interest in constructing them despite the MHADA giving four extensions to its tender floated late last year.

"We want to undertake Resettlement and Rehabilitation of the slum-dwellers staying on the forest land of SGNP and also the tribals from SGNP on a plot in Aarey. MHADA had invited tenders too but despite extending the deadline, no bidder has come forward," a Forest Department official said.

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MHADA plans to construct 25,000 houses on a 90-acre plot at Aarey Milk Colony. In the Development Plan 2034, the plot in Aarey has been marked for this purpose. The project worth R3,510 crore will need permission from the Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change (MNoEF&CC), BMC and the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA).

As per Forest Department records, a total of 25,144 slum-dwellers staying on SGNP land have paid a nominal amount of R7,000 for getting their R&R houses. Of this, 11,658 are eligible and 11,380 have been allotted hoses in Chandivli. Apart from this, 15,000 hutments still exist in the SGNP periphery, sources informed. In Ambedkar Nagar, 3,009 houses have been identified and 800 in Pimpripada by MHADA but their eligibility is yet to be decided.

Also Read: Mumbai rains: City at serious risk of flooding

90 acres
Area of land earmarked for the project at Aarey Milk Colony

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