With more than 16,000 derelict buildings stuck in redevelopment process, Mumbai desperately needed a solution to this growing problem. The solution came in the form of self redevelopment where society members themselves had to take up the mantle of redeveloping their buildings in their own hands and see through the process right from scratch to finish.
Over the last couple of years, the Maharashtra Government has taken multiple initiatives towards promoting self redevelopment in Mumbai.
The Self Redevelopment Scheme was launced in January 2018 by the government as a step towards encouraging and accelerating self redevelopment projects in Mumbai. Additionally, a single window sysytem for self redevelopment projects was set up by the Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (MHADA) to help get all required permissions quickly. Along with these, the Mumbai District Central Cooperative Bank Ltd (MDCC Bank) has been authorized to provide finance to self redevelopment projects and it has cleared multiple projects already.
All these steps taken by the government has given the popularity of self redevelopment a boost and has also encouraged many housing socities to take up self redevelopment of their housing socities. As a result, today, we can see multiple self redevelopment projects in Mumbai at various stages of progress in execution.
Saptarishi CHS in Borivali is an example of a successful self redevelopement project in Mumbai. According to society member Umesh Gavade, who is an architect by profession and played the lead role in managing the entire self redevelopement project for his society, builders were not willing to take up the project since the society building was in poor condition. Hence he along with the society members decided to go in for self redevelopment. Arch. Umesh Gavade is now playing a key role at Wedevelopment guiding other societies with his experience.
Other examples of ongoing self redevelopment projects in Mumbai are Ajit Kumar Society in Goregaon, besides Harmony (Suma Sam CHS) and Jayakunj CHS in Borivali West.
Ajit Kumar Society was a 3 storey structure which will now be constructed into a 9 floor building with each apartment getting at least 100 sq.ft. more than what it had in the old structure. As per the secretary of the housing society, all required approvals were processed in quick pace and the bank had helped in expediting the processes.
Suma Sam CHS and Jayakunj CHS have taken help from Wedevelopment, professional project management consultants for self redevelopment to guide them throughout the self redevelopment process. They received funding from MDCC Bank, construction is in full swing and members are now scheduled for possession of their homes in the next 6 months. The members of both these self redevelopment projects are set to receive more than double the benefits than what was being offered earlier by any other builder.
According to Mr. Vijay Lade, management committe chairman for Jaya Kunj CHS, they were aware about MDCC Bank as an authority for funding of self redevelopment projects in Mumbai but decided to seek professional help from Wedevelopment as the society members were largely senior citizens who wanted to avoid the hassles of running around to authorities for diferent procedures, managing different professionals, finding contractors, alternate accomodation etc.
All housing societies planning to take up the self redevelopment path can look upto these societies as torch bearers.
Suma Sam CHS
Jayakunj CHS
