Low-cost hsg: MMRDA chief pushes for BDD chawl model ………Ashley DMello & Chittaranjan Tembhekar I TNN
Mumbai: British rule in the country ended 61 years ago. However, a youngster was so impressed by their Bombay Development Directorate (BDD) chawls at Byculla that he decided to learn the British knowhow to help low-rental housing schemes in the city.
Ratnakar Gaikwad, who spent part of his youth in his aunts 160 sq-ft tenement at the BDD chawls, is now the commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and plans to change the face of rental accommodation by putting up 5 lakh low-cost housing units in the Mumbai region.
During his recent visit to Britainpart of the chief ministers delegation that went to the UK to seek investment for the stateGaikwad had discussions with British Housing Federation officials about the huge project that he is spearheading. Initially, 35,000 units of low-cost housing units will be founded in Vasai, 11,000 units in Chembur and 5,000 units in Kanjurmarg. Over 1 lakh units are expected to be ready every year in the region, including Thane and Kalyan.
The BDD chawls are considered to be one of the most durable constructions of its kind to be built in the city and 80 years later, they still stand tall and sturdy. City historian Sharada Dwivedi said when the BDD chawls were first built in the 1920s, people were reluctant to move into them as they thought the tenements were not well ventilated. However, the idea soon changed. City architects considered the chawl to partly replicate the ambience of a village with the corridors and verandahs having enough space for community interaction. It initially catered to migrants to the city.
Gaikwad saw the BDD and the Bombay City Improvement Trust Chawls in the city as a model to be followed for lowcost buildings. If the British planners could have the vision to provide low-cost accommodation in central Mumbai so many years ago, why cant we do the same for deserving people now? he argued. The MMRDA chief decided that having small, no-frill apartments, which could be rented out for Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,200 a month, would help alleviate the problems of flats for low-income groups in the city. It will also help migrants get accommodation and prevent the proliferation of slums, he said.
When we were young, we would go to my aunts place at Byculla. There I would sleep in the verandah with six of my friends we were quite comfortable. You dont need much space for living, said Gaikwad when asked about the small size of the new rental places, which will have 160 sq-ft flats.
According to MMRDA officials, help from the British Housing Federation will be more than welcome as they already have experience in building over 15 lakh housing units.
The states low-cost housing scheme has also caught the attention of the Centre, which plans several such housing projects across the country. The central minister for housing and urban poverty, Kumari Shelja, on a recent visit to the city lauded the rental housing scheme and said they are having talks with several central organisations over such projects.
HOUSE THAT: MMRDA commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad, who spent part of his youth at the BDD chawls, plans to put up 5 lakh low-cost housing units in the Mumbai region