After Decades of Delay, 320 Model Mill Workers' Families to Finally Get Permanent Homes
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Nagpur: Bringing an end to a decades-long struggle, 320 families residing in the historic Model Mill workers' colony in Ganeshpeth are finally set to receive ownership of permanent homes, thanks to years of persistent follow-up by Union Minister
Nitin Gadkari
and support from the state govt.
The workers' settlement, one of Vidarbha's only mill colonies, has been home to generations of families since the mill's inception. Though efforts for its redevelopment began years ago, the project repeatedly stalled, most significantly during 2007–2012, when the then state govt reduced the Floor Space Index (FSI), shrinking redevelopment scope.
Gadkari, along with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and former Mayor Archana Dehankar, relentlessly pursued the issue to secure increased FSI and govt clearance.
Following submission of a fresh proposal by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), a special govt notification was issued between 2022 and 2024, approving redevelopment on one acre of the 3.16-acre land parcel. Construction for 320 families was sanctioned along with the required FSI enhancement.
Recently, the appointed contractor received map approval, setting the stage for the project to begin. "We must get a written commitment from the contractor to finish construction within 22 months.
A formal agreement should be signed," Gadkari advised workers' representatives during their meeting to express gratitude.
Former Mayor Dehankar was also lauded by the colony's representatives for her two-decade-long support. BJP city president Dayashankar Tiwari, along with local leaders Prithviraj Shambharkar, Mohan Banaith, Deepak Banaith, Keshav Shrote, and others, were present during the meeting.
This long-pending rehabilitation, now on firm ground, marks a significant urban justice milestone for one of Nagpur's most neglected working-class communities, as per the families.
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