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Mumbai: The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has been asked to look into complaints that some residents of buildings that are part of the huge Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment project are yet to be approved for rehabilitation.
Amin Patel, Member of Legislative Assembly from Mumbadevi, recently wrote to MHADA to clear cases that have been kept in abeyance for various reasons. The 16.5 acre redevelopment project, Mumbai’s biggest urban renewal scheme, is being undertaken by the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (SBUT) set up by the Dawoodi Bohra community. The project involves redeveloping around 250 buildings with 3200 tenements and 1250 shops and converting the area into a cluster of 11 multi-storeyed buildings with open spaces and facilities like renewable electricity.
"A few people had contacted me. Their names are not in the list of families that have to be rehabilitated. This is because their tenancy is not yet verified and their cases were kept in abeyance. I have asked MHADA to contact the tenants and get the verification done," said Amin.
MHADA did not comment on the cases. SBUT said that cases of certain tenants in the project have been held in abeyance by MHADA. "This is primarily because, at the time of certification, their names were not approved due to the lack of required documents in most cases, leading to the withholding of their title clearance,” the SBUT spokesperson said.
“A few years ago, Mr. Amin Patel requested MHADA to expedite the title clearance process for these tenants. It has now come to light that Mr. Amin Patel has once again written to MHADA regarding this matter. However, SBUT was not aware of this recent correspondence and has not seen the letter. We urge MHADA to prioritise these cases to facilitate the completion of legal formalities so that SBUT can expedite the handover of the respective rehab units to the tenants,” the spokesperson added.
A petition in the Bombay High Court has raised concerns about a Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC) cement plant in the complex. The petition filed by Shuiab Khatib, a trustee of Jama Masjid, who said that the plant is located close to a school and complaints to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).
The petition says that the cement plant violated Maharashtra Pollution Control Board norms. The set-up of the cement plant in the residential locality was clearly in violation of pollution norms as it is a grave hazard to air quality, the petition said.
SBUT said that the RMC plant has been constructed following a thorough approval process, ensuring compliance with all necessary permits and regulations from government authorities. We have also implemented all required safety and environmental regulations.
