Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 14: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday handed over keys to 556 newly constructed flats as part of the first phase of the ambitious Worli BDD (Bombay Development Directorate) Chawl Redevelopment Project.

Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, along with key ministers including Neelam Gorhe, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, and Ashish Shelar, were present for the occasion.

The handover marks a historic milestone for hundreds of families who have lived in cramped 160-sqft rooms in the century-old BDD chawls for generations. These families are now being relocated into modern 2 BHK flats with a carpet area of 500 sq. ft. — all free of cost.

“This is a dream come true for thousands who have waited for decades,” said a government release, highlighting the symbolic inauguration of the first two completed rehab towers (D and E wings of Building No. 1). Officials said remaining flats in this phase will be distributed in stages.

Implemented by MHADA’s Mumbai Housing and Area Development Board, the Worli project is part of a broader plan to redevelop 207 chawls across three locations — Worli, Naigaon, and N.M. Joshi Marg — covering over 86 acres.

In Worli alone, the project aims to rehabilitate 9,689 residents from 121 chawls. The final layout includes 34 rehab towers of 40 floors each. Each unit will come with one parking space, stilt-plus-six-level podium parking, and a landscaped garden on the seventh floor.

The state housing department called it one of Maharashtra’s largest urban renewal projects.

At N.M. Joshi Marg (Parel), 14 rehab buildings are under construction to accommodate 2,560 families. In Naigaon (Dadar), work is underway on 20 towers that will house 3,344 units.

Officials say the entire BDD Chawl Redevelopment initiative is designed not just to provide better living spaces, but also to transform Mumbai’s urban landscape with modern infrastructure while preserving community roots.