Mumbai's Ambitious Plan to Deliver 500,000 SRA Homes in 5 Years

Mumbai: With a slum-free Mumbai remaining a distant dream for decades, the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has set up a project implementation unit (PIU) aiming to deliver over five lakh new homes to slum dwellers in the next five years — more than double the total built in the 29 years since the SRA was formed.

Since its inception in 1996, the SRA has delivered only 2.75 lakh homes. Officials said that after reforming several rules and introducing drone and biometric surveys, the agency has delivered 16,017 units in just 100 days. In 2024-25 alone, 16,673 units were completed. The current target is 5,09,783 homes by 2030, with 3.34 lakh units already under construction.

Last month, in a major step to recover pending rent from builders who fail to pay slum dwellers after demolishing their homes, the state government amended the Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971. Under the new provision, SRA can recover unpaid rent from a builder's assets — or the personal property of its directors/partners if the company lacks sufficient assets. As outstanding rent will be treated as arrears of land revenue, SRA can attach and sell a builder's property to pay slum dwellers.

SRA CEO Mahindra Kalyankar said the amendments will help fast-track schemes and ensure timely rent for slum dwellers. He said the agency is focused on the target of delivering over five lakh homes by 2030. “SRA has introduced several reforms to fast-track projects. All stuck projects were reviewed and given a boost through the amnesty scheme and the joint venture (JV) scheme with other state government agencies. A total of 2,74,076 units were constructed in the last 29 years and the target is to construct 5,09,783 units in the next five years,” Kalyankar said.

“We have started to use an e-office system. A list of eligible developers has been prepared for the tender process to get the stalled projects on track. The process of preparing a list of qualified architects has begun under the architect appointment scheme to get stalled projects on track. The period for submission of proposals has been reduced too,” Kalyankar added. “Due to this, the implementation of the schemes is being done faster.”

A policy to empower architects and consultants to issue no-objection certificates has been adopted. Approvals of building works got a boost. We also adopted a policy of not suspending the work on rehabilitation buildings unless there are court orders, he said. Officials noted that the state government accepted recommendations of the Afzulpurkar Committee in December 1995 and amended the Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971 to establish the SRA. Around 50% of Mumbai's residents live in 2,397 slum clusters.

This ambitious plan is a significant step towards addressing the housing crisis in Mumbai, which has been a long-standing issue. The reforms and innovative strategies adopted by the SRA are expected to bring about a significant change in the lives of slum dwellers, providing them with better living conditions and a brighter future.