CM set to unveil development project bigger than Dharavi
On Monday, Shinde will inaugurate an office for cluster development at Kashish Park housing complex and then launch the construction of the first two Urban Renewal Clusters 5 and 6 in Kisan Nagar which is part of URP 12
MUMBAI: If you thought the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) was a big and complex urban renewal enterprise, what Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are due to launch on Monday surpasses it: the Thane cluster development project, one of the biggest initiatives in this sphere in Greater Mumbai.
A pet project of Shinde, who as urban development minister in the previous BJP-led government had proposed and pursued it in his home constituency of Thane, the cluster development project in terms of gross area will be bigger than the DRP. While the DRP is spread over 240 hectares, the Thane cluster development will be implemented on 45 urban renewal plans (URPs) spread across a gross area of 1,500 hectares.
On Monday, Shinde will inaugurate an office for cluster development at Kashish Park housing complex and then launch the construction of the first two Urban Renewal Clusters 5 and 6 in Kisan Nagar which is part of URP 12. In the first phase of development, the project will be implemented in six areas, including Kopri In Thane East, Rabodi, and Hazuri, Lokmanya Nagar, Tekdi Bungalow area in Panchpakhadi, and Kisan Nagar, and will include the redevelopment of old and dilapidated buildings, and legal and illegal residential buildings. The first two clusters will involve construction on 7,753 square metres and 19,275 square metres.
“The two clusters in Kisan Nagar where work will start are located on both sides of the pipeline,” said Thane municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar.
“We will use the open areas so that there is no transit camp required. The project is expected to benefit 30,000 families. CIDCO has been appointed as the implementing agency, and they have awarded the tender to B G Shirke and company.”
The eligible beneficiaries will get a free 323-square-feet home and an opportunity to move from a dilapidated house to a secure and planned township complex. Each sector will have amenities like a library, gymnasium, health centre, community centre, creche and space for senior citizens. Renowned architect Hafeez Contractor has designed the cluster scheme.
“The main difference between a cluster project and a slum rehabilitation project is that not only the plot, but the entire layout benefits from the redevelopment,” said Bangar. “There are reservations for a school, hospital and a 40-metre-wide road.”
The government has also roped in the state-owned Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology Ltd (Mahapreit) which, among other things, also undertakes affordable housing projects, to execute a third cluster. “The formal decision on Mahapreit’s appointment will be announced in a day or two,” said Bangar. “This will mean that actual construction will start on three clusters.”
The state also wants private developers to enter cluster development, and to encourage their participation, the cabinet meeting earlier this week cleared a decision to reduce premiums by 50 percent for cluster development projects.