MUMBAI, DHNS: In a significant development, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government has decided to rename the century-old BDD Chawls - currently under redevelopment - after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and NCP founder-president Sharad Pawar.
The BDD Chawls has seen the transformation of ‘Bombay to Mumbai’ and ‘Mills to Malls’.
The BDD stands for Bombay Development Directorate - and these chawls are around a century old - and has importance in Mumbai’s history in terms of the freedom struggle, political, social, cultural development among other things.
On August 1, 2021, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Pawar had jointly laid the foundation of the project - and it kickstarted on January 4, 2022.
To tackle the housing shortage in the backdrop of rising industrial activities in Mumbai, the Bombay Development Department (BDD) was set up by Sir George Lloyd, the then Governor of Bombay Province.
As of 2016, 195 BDD Chawls are located at Worli, Naigaon and Parel and cover an area of 86.98 acre.
On Thursday, state housing minister Dr Jitendra Awhad made the announcement. “While the BDD Chawl in Worli will be known as ‘Balasaheb Thackeray Nagar’, the cluster on Parel-NM Joshi Marg shall be henceforth known as ‘Rajiv Gandhi Nagar’, and the third one in Naigaon has been rechristened as ‘Sharad Pawar Nagar’,” Dr Awhad said.
The construction of the chawl buildings, each with 80 rooms, was completed between 1921 and 1925 to solve the massive housing shortage during that time. Majority of the residents were among those who worked in mills and were from the working class.
Currently, around 17,000 families reside in the project precincts. Since the housing colonies are around a century old and have completed their life cycle, the Government of Maharashtra decided for its redevelopment.
As part of the redevelopment project, residents of these chawls will get 500 sq ft houses for their existing 160 sq ft tenement.
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