As part of its plan to redevelop 64 slum rehabilitation schemes located on municipal plots, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has once again invited developers and builders for 26 of these schemes, after receiving a poor response in the first round. These land parcels, spread across Mumbai city and its suburbs, are notified under the Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971.
The civic body had first floated an Expression of Interest (EOI) in May this year for 47 plots out of the total 64 plots in areas such as Borivli, Goregaon East, Malad, Lower Parel, Dindoshi, Wadala, Govandi, and Ghatkopar, after 17 plots were removed. The process closed in June, but with limited interest from developers. Now, with timelines extended by three months, the BMC has reissued the EOI for 26 of these parcels, with a deadline of October 15, 2025.
The redevelopment will follow the Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR) 2034. Developers will be responsible for the entire process — from conducting slum surveys, preparing plans, obtaining permissions, and constructing both rehabilitation and sale components, to handling post-occupation certificate maintenance. The stated aim of the project is to provide safer, more sustainable housing for slum residents.
However, the initiative has faced criticism from the Opposition, which has argued that the BMC lacks the expertise to execute Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects. For this initiative, the BMC has been granted the powers of both the SRA’s chief executive officer and the planning authority for the designated areas. “The BMC must take into consideration the opinions of people residing on these plots, as well as other local stakeholders,” said Asif Zakaria, former Congress corporator. The total slum structures to be rehabilitated is about 49,000. The total area under the slums is about 8,37,120 square metres.
