Civic body finds 7 plots to create 8,140 PAP homes

With housing units at Mahul ruled out after the Bombay high court (HC) order, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has identified seven public plots, admeasuring over 1 lakh square meters, to build 8,140 housing units for those affected by various infrastructure projects.

The civic body has undertaken several big-ticket projects such as the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road, Worli-Sewri elevated connector project, 36-km cycle track along the Tansa pipeline and widening of Mithi river. These projects will lead to displacement of thousands of families, whose houses are in the way. Apart from this, several other road and drain widening projects will also need PAP tenements.

The seven plots for the project-affected people (PAP) are at Vikhroli, Byculla, Govandi, Lower Parel, Wadala, Kurla and Ghatkopar. Of the seven plots, the one at Vikhroli will have the highest number of tenements (2,594), followed by Wadala (2,300).

The plot at Govandi’s Deonar Colony where 2,100 units can be built is under the state government and is yet to be handed over to BMC.

Another official said constructing PAPs on the seven plots is financially viable for BMC, as it won’t have to spend on land acquisition. “Either some plots are yet to be transferred from the state government or we are getting compensatory units in return for construction rights given to builders,” he said. Municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi said, “The gap between the PAP units we need and the inventory is huge. Not just seven, we need to find more plots to create more tenements.”

The civic body has 17,000 tenements in Mahul, of which nearly 12,000 have been handed over to PAPs.

In September, the HC had prohibited BMC from shifting any more families to Mahul, in the wake of complaints of severe air pollution.