Latest news with #DisplacedPersons(CompensationandRehabilitation)Act
Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Maharashtra: 5 facts on GTB Nagar redevelopment, home to 1,200 Sindhi refugee families
The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has appointed the Rustomjee Group to redevelop 25 buildings in Mumbai's Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar (GTB Nagar), Sion Koliwada. The project aims to rehabilitate 1,200 Sindhi families who migrated to India from Pakistan after Independence. The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has appointed the Rustomjee Group to redevelop 25 buildings in Mumbai's Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar (GTB Nagar), Sion Koliwada. (Picture for representational purposes only)(Mehul R Thakkar/HT) The colony's redevelopment had been pending for a decade, and the authorities had declared 25 buildings in GTB Nagar to be in a dilapidated condition, prompting the residents to vacate the buildings. Here's what you should know about the GTB Nagar redevelopment project being undertaken by the Rustomjee Group 1) Post-partition refugees rehabilitated in 1,200 homes across 25 buildings since 1957 Beginning in 1957, the government settled over 1,200 refugee families in around 1,200 apartments across 25 buildings constructed specifically for them. Following partition, the central government undertook the rehabilitation of thousands of Hindu Punjabis, Sikh Punjabis, and Sindhi refugees who had crossed into India. In Maharashtra alone, over 30 such colonies were developed, including several in Mumbai. Most of these refugees, originally from Pakistan's Sindh and Punjab provinces, were allotted homes under the Displaced Persons (Compensation and Rehabilitation) Act, 1954. 2) Refugees given homes at a per sq ft price of ₹ 14 In the late 1950s, each apartment allotted to the Sindhi Community cost around ₹ 5,380, with a per sq ft rate of ₹ 14–15. Refugees were allowed to pay in installments, making homeownership feasible, as reported by Moneycontrol. However, today the property rates in the locality range between ₹ 20,000 and ₹ 30,000 per sq ft, and with the redevelopment, prices might touch ₹ 40,000 to ₹ 45,000 per sq ft, local brokers said. Also Read: MHADA appoints Rustomjee Group to redevelop 25 buildings in GTB Nagar, home to 1,200 Sindhi refugee families 3) Why did some residents have to move out? The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) declared the buildings unsafe in 2020 and subsequently demolished several of them. Affected residents were forced to find alternative accommodation on their own, MHADA stated. While many buildings were vacated, some residents either refused to leave or reoccupied them illegally, putting their lives at risk. As a result, the Maharashtra government appointed MHADA to carry out the redevelopment. 4) The redevelopment plan According to MHADA, under the project, 1,200 families will receive 635 sq. ft. apartments in exchange for their current homes in dilapidated buildings. The MHADA has appointed Rustomjee Group, also known as Keystone Realtors, for the redevelopment and rehabilitation. Also Read: Mahindra Lifespaces to exit affordable housing by FY30, shifts focus to premium segment: CEO The entire area is spread across 11.20 acres. The redevelopment will generate 25,700 sq. m. of built-up space for MHADA as housing stock, with a permissible Floor Space Index (FSI) of 4.5, including the fungible area. The project has a total of 1,200 refugee families and 200 slum dwellers who will be rehabilitated as part of the project. 5) What will MHADA get in exchange? According to MHADA, a floor space index (FSI) of 4.5 will be available, including fungible area, ensuring each eligible family receives a free home measuring 635 sq ft. Also Read: Mumbai real estate: Redevelopment is here to stay for more than 20 years, says Boman Irani of Keystone Realtors In exchange, MHADA will receive 25,700 square meters of built-up space as housing stock. The MHADA will sell the housing stock from the same in the open market.
Hindustan Times
01-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
After 12 years of wait, GTB Nagar's redevelopment finally set to begin
MUMBAI: After more than a decade of uncertainty, legal disputes, and crumbling promises, a new chapter is finally set to begin for the residents of Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB) Nagar in Sion. Once a settlement built for Partition refugees, the neighbourhood will now undergo a long-awaited transformation, with the Rustomjee Group's Keystone Realtors bagging the rights to redevelop the 11.20-acre site. After 12 years of wait, GTB Nagar's redevelopment finally set to begin The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), which floated the tender under its cluster redevelopment policy, issued a Letter of Acceptance to Keystone Realtors this week. The project involves the redevelopment of 25 buildings and over 1,200 tenements—most of them originally built between 1954 and 1987 to house displaced Punjabi and Sindhi families under the Displaced Persons (Compensation and Rehabilitation) Act. 'Today, a Letter of Acceptance was issued to Keystone Realtors involving 1,200 tenements,' a Mhada official confirmed. The redevelopment, approved under Regulation 33(9), marks the first such project to be executed by Mhada's newly-appointed construction and development agency. A long wait for change Over the years, the buildings—many of which were over 60 years old—had fallen into a state of disrepair. Several structures were officially declared dilapidated by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, and some were even demolished between 2019 and 2022 due to safety concerns. Residents of GTB Nagar, who have spent years living in precarious conditions, will now receive 635 sq ft flats in the new development. While construction is underway, each family will be entitled to a monthly rent of ₹ 20,000. Post possession, Mhada will also provide five years of maintenance support. The redevelopment plan had been stuck in limbo since 2013, when a handful of buildings signed an agreement with Navi Mumbai-based Lakhani Housing Corporation. However, a lack of consensus, coupled with rounds of litigation and jurisdictional wrangling, led to years of stalemate. A petition in the Bombay High Court had challenged Mhada's jurisdiction over private land, halting the government's plans temporarily. That stay was eventually lifted. Finally, in February 2024, the state cabinet cleared the way by formally approving Mhada's role as Special Planning Authority and allowing the appointment of a new developer. The upcoming redevelopment will not only include the 1,200 tenement families but also around 200 slum dwellers living in the vicinity, who are likely to be accommodated in the new housing stock. Mhada, in turn, will gain 25,700 square metres of additional housing area as part of the deal. Describing the significance of the initiative, Mhada vice chairman and CEO Sanjeev Jaiswal called it a 'historic, pilot project.' He said, 'This is the first redevelopment project to be implemented by Mhada's construction and development agency on private land. Instructions have been issued to prepare a master plan, and a committee of five to seven members from the housing societies will be formed to monitor progress.'
