The project, which was first envisioned in 2009, is a brainchild of the late Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, the 52nd Dai Al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra community, and is now being carried forward by his son Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin.
Addressing a gathering of community members recently, Syedna Saifuddin said the construction work on sub-clusters 1 and 3 along with other sub-clusters should be fast-tracked to ensure that the families and businesses are rehoused and rehabilitated timely.
"As per the desire of His Holiness, construction on sub-clusters 1 and 3 has started after we received all the necessary permissions and approvals for it. Work on other sub-clusters too will start soon in phases. Currently, more than 70 dilapidated buildings have been demolished and over 1700 families and 400 businesses have been vacated from Bhendi Bazaar," CEO of SBUT, Abbas Master, said.
The ambitious project covering 16.5 acres of land has more than 250 decrepit buildings which houses 3,200 families and 1,250 shops and all of these will be incorporated into a state-of-the-art sustainable development plan with 17 new buildings, wide roads, modern infrastructure, more open spaces and highly visible commercial areas.
The creation of new infrastructure and availability of technology at their disposal will infuse growth and open new avenues for the businesses in the area, according to SBUT.