MUMBAI: With less than two months remaining, the state government has achieved only 25% of its goal to construct 1.5 lakh slum rehabilitation tenements for the period 2022-2025. As of September, 37,560 tenements have been completed and occupied, according to officials from the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). The sluggish construction pace jeopardizes the aim of building over 5 lakh houses by 2030.
In 2022, the government identified 517 stalled slum rehabilitation projects. Of these, 45 projects received backing from financial institutions, and new builders were appointed for 21 of them. Decisions for the remaining projects are still pending.
Additionally, 228 projects were allocated to various government agencies for redevelopment, which are expected to create 1,57,304 tenements. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is working on the redevelopment of Ramabai Nagar in Ghatkopar, while the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), responsible for 77 slums, invited tenders for 64 projects. However, due to insufficient responses, they had to re-invite tenders for 26 of those slums.
The SRA is also prioritizing the clearance of slums that obstruct infrastructure projects. For instance, 327 dwellings in Magathane-Borivli were resettled due to their impact on the Thane-Borivali underground twin tunnel project, with 343 project-affected persons’ tenements handed over to MMRDA. In another case, 136 slum dwellers were rehabilitated for the Bombay High Court complex project. While the BMC estimates around 50,000 tenements for its infrastructure initiatives, the government projects an additional 1.5 lakh tenements for other infrastructure developments. All these projects are vital for transforming the Mumbai Metropolitan Region into a significant growth hub, contributing $1.5 trillion to the Indian economy.
Shweta Tambe, director of the Habitat and Livelihood Welfare Association, stressed that the government’s target of 279 houses per day is unrealistic. “The government will not meet this target. Genuine improvements in quality of life can only be realized through slum upgrades and better civic amenities, rather than monetizing land like in Dharavi.”
Architect and activist Nitin Killawala expressed concern over the current progress, suggesting that performance reviews and course corrections are essential. “The government’s focus on partnering with private entities seems pretentious, as they should cover only the minimal construction costs for SRA projects, which should be prioritized over multiple ongoing infrastructure projects.”
The counting of only 8,38,332 hutments and the biometric survey of 5,81,458 hutments have been completed so far, against an estimated total of 13,79,086 slum tenements currently.
