Mumbai: BMC Plans To Sell Vacant Mahul Flats Reserved For PAPs To Municipal Employees At Affordable Rates

The BMC is evaluating a proposal to sell homes initially reserved for Project Affected People (PAP) in Mahul village to its civic employees at affordable rates. Despite being vacant for nearly a year, many PAPs have been hesitant to relocate due to concerns about the area. In response to requests from the Municipal Workers' Union, BMC officials are now exploring the sale of up to 4,000 units to employees.

The union, along with the Coordination Committee, has made a formal appeal to the BMC, requesting that these homes be made available to municipal employees at affordable prices with ownership rights. Union President Ashok Jadhav emphasised that after visiting the site, they identified some necessary repairs and urged the authorities to complete the repairs before allotting the 225-square-foot flats to employees. "We have requested that the repairs be carried out, and then we hope the flats can be allocated to municipal employees at a reasonable cost," Jadhav stated.

The union has also called on interested workers to submit applications for the flats. A senior civic official mentioned that the BMC would consult with the state’s Urban Development Department to determine if the flats could be legally sold to civic employees. The official added that while an assessment conducted in 2021 revealed that the BMC required 75,000 homes for PAPs, the actual number of available homes fell short. "We will reassess the need for and availability of accommodation for PAPs," the official said.

In addition to these housing challenges, several infrastructural issues complicate the situation. Major traffic congestion is being caused by the misalignment of existing roads, and ongoing encroachments along the nallah are further delaying crucial widening projects. A significant obstacle, however, remains the reluctance of PAPs to hand over their land and relocate, which often leads to disputes over the compensation and housing options offered. In response to this, the BMC raised the financial compensation cap for affected individuals last year, increasing it from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh for both commercial and residential properties, in an effort to ease these tensions and speed up the relocation process.