The Maharashtra government is considering extending eligibility for slum rehabilitation projects to first-floor residents of chawls. Currently, only ground-floor or structures up to 14 feet are considered legal, which has stalled or made many projects unviable. The proposed change would allow first-floor residents to participate, but this eligibility would apply exclusively to chawls, not slums.
What is the government planning to do?
According to media reports, the Maharashtra Housing Department is expected to send a proposal to the Cabinet in the coming days recommending that first-floor residents of chawls be included in the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme.
Slum rehabilitation schemes in Maharashtra were introduced in 1997. Under these schemes, all the slum dwellers or residents of chawls are rehabilitated in a building by a private developer.
In exchange, the developer gets the right to construct additional flats, which he can sell on the open market and earn revenue from.
In Maharashtra, currently, the height limit for chawls is 14 feet, and any tenant having a house up to 14 feet is eligible for rehabilitation. However, now the government is planning to consider the first floor irrespective of the height limit, but only for chawls, government officials told HT.com
{{/usCountry}}In Maharashtra, currently, the height limit for chawls is 14 feet, and any tenant having a house up to 14 feet is eligible for rehabilitation. However, now the government is planning to consider the first floor irrespective of the height limit, but only for chawls, government officials told HT.com
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What is the difference between a chawl and a slum?
According to the Maharashtra Housing Department's draft proposal, a chawl is a structure built before 1976 on private land that has property tax proof and non-agricultural documents. Once eligibility is confirmed for a chawl, residents need to provide proof of residence from before January 1, 2000.
“A slum typically comprises houses built without the necessary permissions. They are often made with temporary materials and may not have basic services like water, sewage, etc. On the other hand, chawls are old housing structures that were built decades ago for industrial workers. Each chawl includes a room along with a common toilet," Kedar Chapekar, CEO of Aspect Realty, a Mumbai-based real estate developer involved in SRA projects.
According to Chapekar, by making first-floor residents eligible, slum rehabilitation projects will become more viable.
"Currently, only residents living on the ground floor or structures up to 14 feet are considered legal and eligible for rehabilitation. The inclusion of first-floor residents will not only speed up the execution of projects, but it will also streamline the costs and complexities associated with them," he said.
According to media reports, Mumbai’s suburbs have more than 4,500 chawl structures, and around 4 lakh residents reside in them. Several locations in the city, including Borivali, Kandivali, Dahisar, Malad, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Mulund, Bhandup, and Vikhroli, have these chawls.