Patra Chawl residents could get long-pending new flats within 2 months

The redevelopment of Patra Chawl in Goregaon West’s Siddharth Nagar was initiated in 2008 and went down a tortuous route before MHADA finally took up the onus of completing the project in 2018

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has accepted the demands of Goregaon’s Patra Chawl residents pertaining to Permanent Alternate Accommodation Agreements (PAAA), corpus fund, interest on dues, substandard construction quality and maintenance. The residents are likely to get possession of their homes within two months.

Although a housing lottery was conducted in April 2025, most tenants refused to take possession of the premises due to MHADA’s delay in releasing their monthly rental amount and other demands (HT PHOTO)

“MHADA has agreed to do the needful by appointing a company for a period of three years to plug the problems,” said a MHADA official.

“We had multiple demands that were pending for a long time. Therefore, we organised a protest outside MHADA’s head office on Tuesday morning,” said Rajesh Dalvi, president, Siddharth Nagar Co-operative Housing Society (Patra Chawl Tenants Association). The most pressing demand was to get PAAAs instead of allotment letters. The residents claim that PAAA is essential as a formal legal document to prove they have a reconstructed home.

The redevelopment of Patra Chawl in Goregaon West’s Siddharth Nagar was initiated in 2008 and went down a tortuous route before MHADA finally took up the onus of completing the project in 2018. At the meeting, residents claimed that the neglect of the partially constructed buildings for 14 years had resulted in seepage issues. A structural report by the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute is now awaited to assess the construction quality and buildings’ foundation.

Patra Chawl has also been in a political row involving Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut and his close aide Pravin Raut. The enforcement directorate had arrested both in the alleged money-laundering case.

Although a housing lottery was conducted in April 2025, most tenants refused to take possession of the premises on the grounds that their demands had not been met. One of these grouses was the MHADA’s delay in releasing their monthly rental amount.

Apart from seeking a corpus fund of ₹25 crore, the residents have also pressed for 9% interest on this outstanding. “Instead of paying us the interest, as alternate compensation, the authorities have committed to handing over the 13 extra flats constructed. These will be transferred to the society,” Dalvi confirmed.

A month’s additional maintenance will also be paid to the 672 families towards shifting costs from their existing rented premises back to their new flats. “We were all satisfied with the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting,” said Dalvi.

The redevelopment of Patra Chawl, spread over 47 acres, began in 2008 with MHADA appointing real estate company Guru Ashish Construction, an arm of the now bankrupt HDIL. The project involved redevelopment and rehabilitation of 672 families, and a portion of the housing stock was to be shared with MHADA.

In 2014, however, the developer stopped paying rent to the families. The project’s contract was terminated in 2018 on the grounds of violating project terms and conditions. Subsequently, MHADA took over the stalled project.