BDD chawls redevelopment: Door-to-door survey of tenants begins

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has begun a door-to-door survey of chawl residents to speed up the Bombay Development Directorate (BDD) Chawls redevelopment project. The purpose of the survey is to identify eligible tenants for rehabilitation.

On Wednesday the officials who visited building number 79 and 80, could survey only 149 out of 160 tenements. The remaining were locked. While people's disapproval of the survey might serve as a reason apart from the fact that many were out on vacation.

"In building number 79 a total of 71 residents submitted their documents. One room belonged to the mandal, and the remaining eight had locks on them. In building number 80, a total of 78 tenants cooperated, while two rooms had locks on them. From the previous day's survey, five tenants of building number 81 and 82 came forward and submitted their documents. The whole process went on smoothly," said the official from MHADA.

MHADA official claims tenants whose doors were locked were on out on vacation, and they have enough time to submit their documents.

When DNA visited the building number 79, one of the tenants on the first floor of the building said that two rooms belonging to his neighbours were locked because they have an elderly parent who is unwell and is unable to use the common toilet in the chawl. Hence, they have shifted for time being. "We had informed them about the survey. They will submit their documents soon," said the tenant.

While vacation was one of the reasons for closed doors, one of the tenants who didn't wish to be identified, said that some tenements house more than one family. Hence, they have gone out to avoid disputes over ownership. Some residents say that they want to see the draft agreement at the soonest for better clarity on the redevelopment of the close to century-old chawls.

WHO'S ELEGIBLE?

• Through the survey the authority seeks to identify eligible tenants for rehabilitation 
   
• While majority of the tenants at BDD chawls are in support of the survey, some do not approve of it