After strident protests last week, state govt agrees to give houses to residents of all 19 buildings in the area in the same locality; bridge to stay open for now
The decision was taken during a meeting held at Sahyadri Guest House. Pic/by special arrangement
All residents of 19 buildings in the Elphinstone bridge area will be provided new houses at the same location, with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), acting as the Special Planning Authority (SPA), redeveloping them under a cluster development plan. The bridge will stay open until further notice.
The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and attended by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the state chief secretary, and senior officials from the MMRDA, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, and MSRDC, held at Sahyadri Guest House.
Mumbai Suburban Guardian Minister Ashish Shelar said that initially, a total of 19 buildings were expected to be affected by the Elphinstone bridge work. However, following revised planning by the government, only two buildings will now be directly impacted.
The Elphinstone bridge will remain open until further notice. File pic/Ashish Raje
“With locals opposing the move on Friday and fearing that other buildings might also get damaged, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis accepted the request that redevelopment of all 19 buildings be carried out by the MMRDA under Section 33(9), without waiting for any private developer,” Shelar said. “Instead of offering compensation or alternative houses to the residents of the two affected buildings, they will be provided with redeveloped houses in the same place. In the interim, they will be accommodated in transit housing at Kurla.”
He added that the redevelopment plan ensures all residents, including those from the 17 unaffected buildings, will eventually get homes at the same location. “This decision ensures that Marathi-speaking residents retain their homes in the same neighbourhood,” Shelar said.
However, some residents remained unhappy. “We also met MMRDA officials, but they said they cannot comment until they receive formal communication from the government. Our residents don’t want to move to Kurla even temporarily. Surprisingly, even local MLA Kalidas Kolambakar was not invited to today’s meeting with the Chief Minister,” said local resident Sriram Pawar.
Locals protesting against the closure of the bridge on Friday. File pic/Ashish Raje
Vivek Pai, architect, urban planner, and transportation consultant, said, “It’s something that will definitely become a precedent; however, how this is done, along with the economics and regulations, will need to be seen.”
Jagdeep Desai, architect, academician, founder trustee, and chairperson of the Forum for Improving Quality of Life in Mumbai, said, “It’s not a good idea and should definitely not be used as a precedent. Yet again, it shows that no detailed planning was done for the project. Everything should be ready ahead of the work, so such spontaneous, possibly contentious, decisions aren’t imposed on citizens. And again, what is the reason why only these residents are given special treatment?”
Domnic Romell, president of CREDAI-MCHI, said that what has been done at Elphinstone is a positive development and will be used as a precedent for other projects. “It is a very positive development, and as I have been saying, the Maharashtra government has been encouraging cluster development in the city. This is a very positive thing. With good housing, the government’s priority is towards transparency and accountability. Also, it will not affect project timelines, given the volume of the project, but it ensures transparency and makes people happy.”
Pankaj Joshi, principal director of the Urban Centre Mumbai, said, “Precedent or not, it is important from the perspective that it will create an impetus for housing. One also needs to consider the social fabric of the area and maintain the originality of the place. Another important aspect is that these bridges in the city have historical significance, and we need to preserve some of their old identity in some form.”
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