MMRDA to be appointed spl planning authority for redevelopment of 19 bldgs at Elphinstone Road

Once the MMRDA is appointed as the SPA, it will float a tender for redevelopment of the 19 buildings, located on the northern side of the Elphinstone bridge

Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will be appointed as Special Planning Authority (SPA) for the redevelopment of 19 buildings along the British-era Elphinstone bridge in central Mumbai, which is slated for demolition. The bridge will be replaced by the ambitious Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector, which will connect the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link with the Atal Setu.

The appointed developer will have to rehabilitate all 368 project-affected families (PAPs) residing in the 19 buildings at the same location (Hindustan Times)

“The urban development department will issue a notification appointing the MMRDA as SPA. Only then will we be able to proceed with acquisition of the buildings, demolition of the bridge and construction of the Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector over the railway tracks,” a senior MMRDA official told Hindustan Times.

Consequently, the deadline for the project to connect the two sea links is likely to get pushed back by at least 8-10 months, to December 2026, said sources in the planning body.

Once the MMRDA is appointed as the SPA, it will float a tender for redevelopment of the 19 buildings, located on the northern side of the Elphinstone bridge. The appointed developer will have to rehabilitate all 368 project-affected families (PAPs) residing in the 19 buildings at the same location, alongside constructing additional units under the freesale component, the sources added.

Among the 19 buildings, 12 fall within the Brihanumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) F South ward while seven come under the G South ward. Most of the buildings are around 80-100 years old, and are owned by individuals through the pagdi system, wherein tenants pay an initial premium or pagdi and a low monthly rent to gain co-ownership rights over a property.

Naresh Mahakal, one of the PAPs, said two developers had evinced interest in redeveloping their buildings.

“They even made a presentation to us showcasing their credentials,” he said.

Government officials had visited the area about a month ago, to survey the residential and commercial units in the buildings, he said, adding, “We are waiting to hear from them.”

Another seven buildings located on the southern side of the Elphinstone bridge have finalised Vardhman V21 Developer to execute a cluster redevelopment project, and the process to start work on the project is underway.

These seven buildings too were to get impacted by the Sewri-Worli Elevated Connector till planners altered the alignment to the northern side of the existing bridge, where 19 buildings would be affected. The second half of 2024 saw a further realignment of the elevated connector, with the number of affected buildings and PAPs reduced from 19 to two and 368 to 83, respectively. The cost of rehabilitating the PAPs too fell from ₹5,200 crore to ₹110 crore.

On the night of April 25, when demolition of the bridge was scheduled to start, residents of the area gathered in large numbers on the bridge to stall the move. The MMRDA had not finalised a rehabilitation plan for the 83 PAPs in the two affected buildings and the compensation offered was paltry, they alleged.

The MMRDA had offered the PAPs varied amounts ranging from ₹30 lakh to ₹1.10 crore, depending on the size of their residential/ commercial units, which they reckoned was far less than the market value of their property. Residents of the remaining 17 buildings on the northern side claimed their buildings too would be affected by construction activity and demanded in-situ rehabilitation, stalling the demolition of the bridge till the matter was resolved.

“About a year ago, we were in discussion with Lodha Developers to get half a dozen buildings on the Prabhadevi side of the railway line to be redeveloped, but the talks fell through. Now, with MMRDA appointing a developer, we are assured that we will not be left in the lurch,” said Mahakal.