MMRDA offers to pay PAPs of Sewri-Worli connector

MUMBAI: Families of 83 residents of two chawls in Prabhadevi -- Laxmi Nivas and Haji Noorani -- which stand at two ends of the Elphinstone flyover, are likely to receive between ₹30 lakh and ₹1.10 crore from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) ahead of its plans to demolish the flyover to make way for the two-level Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector.

It is the first time that MMRDA has offered project affected people (PAPs) a choice between monetary gain and rehabilitation. The reason behind this move, HT has learnt, is the paucity of space to rehabilitate the residents when their homes will be demolished to facilitate the new project. The nature of compensation, depending on the area of the residences, was discussed in a meeting between the residents of the two chawls, both nearly 100 years old, on Wednesday.

MMRDA has identified 23 PAPs from Haji Noorani chawl and 60 from Lakshmi Nivas chawl, who will be affected by the project. Each house is between 100 sq feet to 1200 sq feet. HT has learnt that on March 29, in an internal meeting of MMRDA, officials had proposed the compensation scheme over the PAPs’ relocation into resettlement colonies, which was approved.

“Here we are offering the PAPs an option of choosing monetary compensation instead of housing units. This was explained to those who attended the meeting. It was clarified that depending on the area of the property, the compensation would range from approximately ₹30 lakh to ₹1.10 crore,” said an official from MMRDA.

A resident who attended the meeting with MMRDA however told HT that the residents felt they were being short-changed in the name of development. “The proposal to pay compensation at a Ready Reckoner (RR) rate is much lower than the market value,” he said.

Last week, the MMRDA revised its financial compensation policy to replace the traditional tenement-based resettlement approach for expediting multiple infrastructure projects that requires rehabilitation of 6300 PAPs. “Due to a lack of available tenement space in the proximity of the affected areas, some project-affected individuals have resisted resettlement, creating delays in project progress. So, we are offering financial compensation as an alternative which will be based on the RR rate. The rates will vary based on which category (squatters or those who own legal properties) and area the affected individuals belong to,” said another official.

A minimum compensation of ₹25 lakh will be provided for residential PAPs residing in legal authorized structures as well as squatters/ encroachers, at the RR rate for authorised and legal structures, and 0.75% RR rate for encroachers and squatters. The policy also includes non-residential PAPs like shops and commercial properties.

Meanwhile, the plan to close the century old Elphinstone flyover on April 10 has been deferred. The flyover, which connects Parel and Prabhadevi in central Mumbai, will be eventually shut to facilitate its demolition and reconstruction of the Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector project of the MMRDA.

The existing flyover is 13 metres wide and accommodates 1.5 lanes for traffic flow in each direction. It will make way for a double-decker connector – the first level of the new double-decker bridge will feature a 2+2 carriageway for traffic between Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road and Senapati Bapat Road, while the second level will accommodate a signal free 2+2-lane for traffic heading from Atal Setu to Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL).