Mumbai: A cluster of low rise tenements leads a quiet existence in the heart of Goregaon, whose historical significance is lost upon the city. The expansive, horizontally laid out Motilal Nagar which is headed for redevelopment, was one of the early welfare housing projects in the country.
In fact the keys were handed over to settlers, who were project affected persons (PAPs), by none other than India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1961. Motilal Nagar was named after his father.
According to a recent Bombay High Court order, the massive 143-acre township comprising 3,700 homes will be redeveloped by Adani group under a Rs 36,000 crore project to be overseen by landowner Mhada. This will be one of the largest Mhada land parcels to undergo redevelopment.
Three or four different residents’ associations in Motilal Nagar claim to represent the tenement town. The govt has pledged to rehouse the residents in apartments measuring 1,600 square feet (builtup area), which has the court’s approval. However, the associations are unwilling to accept the deal, insisting that they are eligible for a fantastical large house ranging from 2,000 sq ft to 3,500 sq ft (carpet area).
Yuvraj Mohite, president of Motilal Nagar Vikas Samiti, said how Motilal Nagar as Mhada’s first planned colony has individual toilets, a small kitchen, extensive roads and vast maidans. “In the 1980s Mhada permitted tenants to acquire ownership of their homes for a fee. The floods of 2005 brought this submerged locality to its knees. That is when households began to construct the top storeys. Families began to expand too.” Mohite’s association has fought prolonged court battles, demanding 2,000 sq ft carpet area as per Rule 33/5 and 45 FSI.
However, the joint secretary of MNVS Nilesh Prabhu said residents are entitled to up to 3,500 carpet area, citing various documents. Another Jankalyankari Samiti secretary Gaurav Rane asks why the authorities are determining their allotment by (1,600 sq ft) built-up area when the Mhada norm is carpet area. Its member Salahuddin Khan cited Mhada’s lottery process as an example.
The extensive churning over the issue has led young Muzammil Khan alias Bulky Bhai, a podcaster, to broadcast a series of shows covering the redevelopment of Motilal Nagar on his YouTube channel. Muzammil’s family, like several others has lived here since 1961, says his father Aleem Khan.
Meanwhile, residents such as Vijaya Patel of Darshan Stores are just keen for the redevelopment process to begin and end quickly. They are afraid of being displaced for years, citing the case of nearby Patra Chawl, also owned by Mhada, whose occupants are still waiting for their homes two decades later.
Some wanted Mhada to undertake redevelopment, now they hope they will be shifted “key for key”, without being shifted to transit camps during construction. They say the builder can construct on the vast open grounds first, rehouse them and then raze their existing homes.