The Bombay High Court has given the green light for the redevelopment of 141 acres of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) land in Goregaon (West), known as Motilal Nagar, marking the largest MHADA colony redevelopment project in the city. The division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Bharati Dangre disposed of a 2013 PIL challenging rampant unauthorized construction in the colony and allowed a 2021 plea by MHADA to carry out redevelopment via private developers through a bidding process.
With the litigation now settled, MHADA can proceed with opening the redevelopment bids, which were previously floated. The estimated Rs. 21,000 crore project will be executed by a selected construction and development agency (C&DA) through floor space index (FSI) compensation, with the developer covering all costs, including transit housing, rehabilitation of tenants, shops, slum dwellers, and additional amenities. Originally designed for 400 tenants, primarily row houses, Motilal Nagar currently has over 3,600 unauthorized constructions, which MHADA plans to include in the redevelopment plan.
In December 2021, Adani, L&T, and Naman Developers were the only three construction firms to submit bids for the project, which is expected to transform Motilal Nagar into a modern residential and commercial hub. MHADA emphasized that this redevelopment aligns with its core objectives under the MHADA Act of 1976, which focuses on housing improvement, slum rehabilitation, and redevelopment of aging buildings. With this clearance, Mumbai is set to witness one of its largest urban transformation projects, providing improved housing and infrastructure for thousands of residents.