MHADA Plans To Redevelop Motilal Nagar Colony

Along with its colonies in other parts of Mumbai, MHADA (Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority) is planning to redevelop its housing colony in Motilal Nagar, Goregaon (West). The Motilal Nagar housing colony is spread over an area of 125 acres (54,45,000 sq.ft) and has about 3,700 ground-level tenements. These houses were built by MHADA about three decades ago. The tenements in the colony are about 180 sq.ft in size.

MHADA’s plan

The tenements in Motilal Nagar housing colony were initially built and given out on rent. Then they were sold for under Rs. 50,000 in 1980s. Now the housing authority plans to redevelop this colony and give each family a tenement of size 600 sq.ft free of cost under the redevelopment plan. The remaining land will be used to build about 32,000 affordable houses.

This is the first time MHADA will be redeveloping its own colony instead of handing it over to a private developer if everything goes as per plan. It will be awarded an additional FSI of 2.5 under the amended development control regulation (DCR) clause 33(5).

The Motilal Nagar colony

Motilal Nagar housing colony is a prime area in Goregaon (West). It is located opposite to Inorbit Mall. The Link Road which is a key highway in Mumbai is just a kilometer away. Motilal Nagar has several social amenities such as schools, colleges, hospitals, gym and a swimming pool nearby. The development potential of this colony is massive. The capital value in Motilal Nagar is an average of Rs. 6,350 per sq.ft and has the potential to go up with an increase in demand.

Potential challenges

The housing body may face certain challenges before it can start redeveloping its colony. First of all, there is a PIL (public interest litigation) in the Bombay High Court claiming that there are about 6,000 illegal buildings in the colony. According to the PIL, many residents have carried out vertical and horizontal constructions without permission. The high court has ordered authorities to perform a survey to identify illegal constructions in the colony.

There are also fears that private developers with political connections may try to get the contract for redevelopment as Motilal Nagar colony is a prime area in Goregaon (West) and has huge development potential.