State, public bodies must implement slum rehab projects on their lands: HC

The court was hearing a petition filed by Ruparel Buildcon after its slum rehabilitation project in Siddharth Nagar, spread over 66,000 square meters, was stalled by the SRA in February 2026

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said the state government and other public bodies should implement slum rehabilitation projects on their land, as it will ensure that the projects are not inordinately delayed due to disputes between groups of slum dwellers and rival developers. Such a move would also ensure the development remains under control of the land owner bodies, the court said.

Photo for representation (HT PHOTO)

The court referred to the pending redevelopment of Siddharth Nagar, a slum settlement in Chembur, as “a classic case where the redevelopment of the slum has been delayed for almost 20 years”.

“..it is high time that the situation as brought about in the present proceedings, namely, of inter se conflicts between the societies of slum dwellers and the developer, becomes a relic of the past,” a division bench of justices Girish Kulkarni and Dr Neela Gokhale said, ordering the chief executive officer (CEO) of the SRA to decide within six weeks on applications filed by slum dwellers challenging the appointment of Ruparel Buildcon as the developer.

If the CEO or any other statutory authority sets aside the developer’s appointment, clause 1.15 of regulation 33(10) of the Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR) should be invoked and the slum scheme should be handed over to the state government, which owns the land. The government must then appoint an architect and developer by following appropriate legal procedures to implement the slum redevelopment scheme, the division bench said.

The slum redevelopment scheme was originally envisaged in 2006, but was delayed inordinately due to disputes between cooperative societies formed by slum dwellers and repeated litigations. On March 25, 2021, the SRA approved the appointment of Ruparel Buildcon as the developer, after the federation of 33 societies chose the firm. On August 13, 2021, the SRA approved construction of eight buildings with 3,153 rehabilitation tenements, based on the consent of 823 out of 1,520 slum dwellers deemed eligible for rehabilitation.

In court, some slum dwellers opposed Ruparel Buildcon’s petition, claiming that the federation of 33 societies had not taken their consent for the appointment of the firm.

After hearing lengthy arguments, the high court held that though slum dwellers had limited right of getting permanent alternate accommodation, they and their societies could approach the SRA invoking section 13 of the Maharashtra Slums Act, which empowers the CEO, SRA to appoint a new developer to take over a slum scheme in case redevelopment work does not start within a limited timeframe.

Considering “the nature of the horse-trading which takes place in slum rehabilitation schemes,” the CEO of SRA should invoke clause 1.15 of the DCPR 33(10) and entrust implementation of such slum schemes to the state government or the public body, which owns the land, the court said. This would also enable landowners to utilise the land for some other purpose by rehabilitating the affected and eligible slum dwellers elsewhere, the court noted.

The bench directed the CEO, SRA to decide on the applications, if filed by slum dwellers, within six weeks, and adequately compensate Ruparel Buildcon in case its appointment is set aside.