The Parksite-Vikhroli project is spread across 125 acre, comprising of several slum societies and more than 40,000 residents
Omkar Developers is well-known for their slum redevelopment projects. However, as per realty sources and senior officials of the developers, the real estate developer will be giving up on one of its biggest slum redevelopment projects, which was undertaken four years ago.
The Parksite-Vikhroli project is spread across 125 acre, comprising of several slum societies and more than 40,000 residents. The reason behind this move is being attributed to activism, which the officials from the developers' side on condition of anonymity say is too hard to handle.
The project was in news in 2017, after an RTI activist Sandeep Yeole held a press conference in Mumbai with bundles of notes lined up in front of him, alleging that the developer was trying to bribe him. When contacted Yeole, he claimed that it is childish to blame him or activism for a developer to give up the claim on the project.
According to a senior official from Omkar Developers, who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity, the developer has spent almost Rs 100 crore to built transit camps; and to leave now from the project is painful, but they have no option. "We had got into a collaboration with another developer but seeing the condition and with no progress in spite of our best efforts, now we will inform them that we won't be able to go ahead with the project anymore."
The official from the developers' office informed, "We were keen on starting the project. We had even started the process in Hanuman Nagar cluster, which is one of the biggest here with thousands of residents. Majority of the slum dwellers are in favour of us and still want redevelopment with better living conditions. However, more than 80 slum redevelopment projects are stuck in the city as some or other the activist has instigated the public. The same has happened with our project."
On the other hand, Yeole claims that the residents are desiring for self-redevelopment of the slum and work in this regard is being carried out too. "The developers are not redeveloping slums for a basic reason, and the real estate market is in a bad condition. The supply already is in surplus. However, developers are not carrying out slum redevelopment. There are around 87 slum projects that are stuck in Mumbai and not at all places there's a Sandeep Yeole. There has been a lot of wrongdoing here, and we have been trying to get the developer out for those reasons."
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