Heritage tag gone, Chembur residents hope for redevelopment

Residents and developers of Chembur are delighted that their long-drawn fight to rid the suburb of heritage tag has yielded quick results. Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had cleared the file on Spetember 11, keeping almost all of Chembur out of the heritage ambit, leaving out only St Anthony's Church, the Jain temple, the Leprosy home in Trombay, the Gaothan area and some bungalows in Deulwadi, a day before the poll code of conduct was declared for the upcoming assembly elections.

Chembur residents came to know of the development on Friday evening. "For the past 13 months, the development process was completely stalled in Chembur, which has many dilapidated structures. Many of them needed immediate repair and redevelopment. Even minor repair work and wall painting required a nod from the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee. But thankfully, justice has been served and it's a huge relief for us," said Yashodhan Sandu, a resident.

Members of Chembur Citizens Forum said the local MLA Chandrakant Handore has been working on the issue. "He has been pushing the matter. Residents were feeling deprived, since the suburb was wrongly put into the heritage precinct even though it did not have any particular heritage characteristics. It is a residential area," a resident said.

"The development of the eastern suburb was frozen. The move will be significant for senior citizens, who form a sizeable part of the Chembur population. It will save them a lot of trouble," another member of the forum said.