Mumbai’s SRA to Procure Slum Plots for Public Amenities

The Slum Redevelopment Authority (SRA) in Mumbai has announced that it will acquire private slum-encumbered plots reserved for public amenities, according to the Development Control and Promotion Regulations 2034. Previously, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had purchased a slum-encumbered plot in Dahisar for Rs 349 crore when it was valued at Rs 54 crore due to encroachments. This has prompted a police complaint by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya against the BMC for purchasing a plot already classified as a slum. The BMC had previously initiated acquisition of two other plots under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, but the BMC later halted the acquisition as these plots were considered slums. The BMC has instructed the collector to notify the CEO of the SRA in November 2022 to acquire the plots under the Slum Act. The SRA will then ask slum inhabitants to form a cooperative society and appoint a developer to carry out the rehabilitation. Once the plot is developed, 25% of the Ready Reckoner Rate is due as a premium for the plot, and a certain number of tenements must be given to project-affected persons. The plot is developed in the 65:35 ratio where 65% is for slum redevelopment and 35% is for public amenities. SRA officials are now awaiting the appointment of a nodal officer by the BMC to identify all slum-encumbered private plots reserved for public amenities, to help facilitate the acquisition of these reserved plots.