The Maharashtra Area and Housing
Development Authority (MHADA) on Thursday told the Bombay High Court that the redevelopment of BDD chawls in south Mumbai has been planned and designed as per the development control regulations (DCR) and environment norms.
MHADA said this in an affidavit it filed in response to a petition, which alleged that the redevelopment project was being carried out in a haphazard manner.
The petition filed by two city residents- Shirish Patel and Sulakshana Mahajan- claimed that the manner in which the redevelopment is proposed, it would jeopardise the health, well-being and right to life of residents.
"As per the proposal, the buildings will be constructed in a small portion of the original plot. Buildings will be constructed so close to each other that the residents will be deprived of proper light and air. This will lead to an increase in diseases and other health issues," the petition said.
There are 206 BDD chawls, spread across 92 acres. Out of these, 120 are in Worli, 32 in N M Joshi Marg area, 42 in Naigaon and 12 in Sewri.
The government has initiated a process for redevelopment of all chawls, except for those in Sewri, which are built on Mumbai Port Trust land.
In its affidavit submitted on Thursday before a division bench of Acting Chief Justice B P Dharmadhikari and Justice N R Borkar, MHADA refuted the contentions raised in the petition.
The Environment Impact Assessment report and the reports submitted by GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) show that the light and ventilation within the rehab buildings are satisfactory and complying the norms, it said.
"Various community spaces and amenities are planned there. The existing amenities and community spaces are also retained and repositioned in the new master plan," the affidavit said.
It added that the redevelopment plan also includes jogging track, children's play areas with play equipments and a park for the elderly.
MHADA further said that the planning authority after following a tedious process prepared a draft development plan and submitted the same to the state government.
"The officers in the Town Planning Departments of the planning authority are experts in the field of Urban and town planning and it is with this objective that the Draft Development Plan is prepared by experts," it said.
The draft plan then undergoes another level of scrutiny by experts in the state government, the affidavit said.
The bench has posted the petition for further hearing after three weeks.
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