Govt to hand over 100-yr-old residential colony to private developer
MUMBAI: The 100-year-old residential Dattatray chawl
in south Mumbai suddenly finds itself in the limelight after the state
government decided to hand over the property to a private developer.
What is intriguing is that the under two-acre land which houses over 1,500 residents was acquired by the state housing authority two decades ago.
However, two months ago, a state housing department official wrote a letter to the housing authority, Mhada, to exempt the property from land acquisition and allow it to be redeveloped by a builder.
This sent alarm bells ringing because the Mhada Act (Chapter 8A) has no provision for such an acquired property to be de-acquired. Naturally, a section of the residents are upset that the government took a unilateral decision without consulting them or giving them a hearing.
Some residents recently served a legal notice on the government, stating that the decision to surrender this property to a developer was illegal and against the law. Stakes are high because the property is located in a prime area (Grant Road) of south Mumbai where property prices in new buildings are as high as Rs 40,000 a sq ft.
The redevelopment potential of the chawl is believed to be over Rs 1,200 crore and this would be a bonanza for any developer. The government should rescind its order and allow the housing authority to redevelop the property on its own and earn a windfall.
What is intriguing is that the under two-acre land which houses over 1,500 residents was acquired by the state housing authority two decades ago.
However, two months ago, a state housing department official wrote a letter to the housing authority, Mhada, to exempt the property from land acquisition and allow it to be redeveloped by a builder.
This sent alarm bells ringing because the Mhada Act (Chapter 8A) has no provision for such an acquired property to be de-acquired. Naturally, a section of the residents are upset that the government took a unilateral decision without consulting them or giving them a hearing.
Some residents recently served a legal notice on the government, stating that the decision to surrender this property to a developer was illegal and against the law. Stakes are high because the property is located in a prime area (Grant Road) of south Mumbai where property prices in new buildings are as high as Rs 40,000 a sq ft.
The redevelopment potential of the chawl is believed to be over Rs 1,200 crore and this would be a bonanza for any developer. The government should rescind its order and allow the housing authority to redevelop the property on its own and earn a windfall.
