Will fulfil common man's housing dream, bring back Marathi people who have left Mumbai: Shinde

Mumbai, July 17 (IANS) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who holds the urban development and housing departments, on Thursday said the government is working to bring back Marathi people who have left Mumbai, by removing obstacles and fulfilling the common man's dream of owning a house in the metropolis.

Apart from this, the efforts made by the Mahayuti government will bring about a radical change in the lives of the citizens of Mumbai, which is the growth engine of the country, said Shinde in the state Assembly.

The necessary reforms in the Urban Development and Housing Department will complete the stalled redevelopment projects and move towards a slum-free Mumbai, he stated in his reply to a discussion held under Rule 293 in the state Assembly.

“We are working to connect Mumbai with the world. We are doing the makeover of Mumbai in the true sense. Most of the Mumbai transformation work was done during the Mahayuti government. These works are bringing about radical changes in the lives of Mumbaikars. We are doing the biggest development of Mumbai after the country's Independence. Mumbai is being transformed in every sense,” he said while rebutting the charges of the Opposition in this regard.

“We are working to speed up the stalled redevelopment projects in Mumbai. In this, a developer has been appointed for the cluster development project in Motilal Nagar Goregaon and GTP Nagar. This will provide houses to 4,900 residents.

"The bidding process for the cluster development in Kamathipura Abhyudaya Nagar is underway and will be completed by September 2025. Nearly, 11,441 tenants will benefit from the redevelopment. The cluster will benefit 2010 residents in Adarsh Nagar Worli and Bandra Reclamation, the bidding process is also underway,” he said.

Dy CM Shinde said that the redevelopment project of BDD chawls is underway in Worli Naigaon and N.M. Joshi Marg and a total of 15,600 tenants will be rehabilitated in this.

"Out of which, we will allocate 556 flats in Worli by August 15. We have planned to allocate 25 per cent of the total flats by December 2025. We are rehabilitating the Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar slum. The work of the East-opening road passing through this area is being done by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). In the first phase, 6144 slum dwellers are being rehabilitated and MMRDA has issued a tender,” he added.

He said that a new housing policy has been prepared for affordable housing and 35 lakh houses will be built by investing Rs 70,000 crore.

"The common man will get the affordable, environmentally friendly houses he deserves. The issue of redevelopment of old buildings in Mumbai is also very big. When I was the Chief Minister, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation Act 1888 (Act 1976) was amended and now the unfinished projects can be completed quickly. The stalled SRA schemes are being completed through government agencies, making the dream of Hindu Hruday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray a reality,” he expressed.

Refuting the Opposition’s charges about Mumbai roads being in a poor shape, Dy CM Shinde said the roads in Mumbai are being concretised and wherever the work is incomplete and there are complaints, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation is taking action by appointing zone-wise dedicated agencies.

The cost of filling potholes every year has been reduced by 50 per cent this year, he stated and added that an online portal for pothole complaints has been set up as well as an agreement has been signed with IIT Mumbai for inspection.

--IANS

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