27.1.13

Bhendi Bazaar makeover update



After several delays and stiff opposition from residents, the ambitious 16.5-acre Bhendi Bazaar cluster redevelopment scheme seems to be back on track, with developers Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (SBUT) set to start work on three out of the 9 clusters.
Addressing a press conference, Abbas Master, chief executive officer, SBUT clarified the various apprehensions regarding the project and said construction would begin shortly. “Final permissions are awaited and work on the three clusters, covering five acres, will begin soon,” he said.
The trust also cleared the air on apprehensions that the redevelopment would give rise to a gated community — where the Bohra community would be segregated from others and their redevelopment prioritised. “We want all residents to live with their neighbours as before. This project is for the community at large and not exclusively for Bohras,” he said.
Refuting claims that residents had not been kept in the loop about the revamp plan, Master said: “We have explained the project in detail to every resident and we even have a help desk in place to clear doubts.”
He also trashed rumours that the existing places of worship would be shifted and assured that residents would be rehabilitated in the vicinity of their original accommodation itself. “Not a single religious place will be touched.”
Congress legislator Amin Patel, who was present at the media briefing, said he would ensure residents’ concerns are addressed. “I will convene a joint meeting of all disgruntled residents along with the trust members and government officials,” said Patel.
The largest cluster project in the city — the redevelopment of 16.5-acre Bhendi Bazaar in south Mumbai — had run into trouble over the last few months, with residents raising several apprehensions that they would be given a raw deal. Residents apart from those belonging to the Dawoodi Bohra community fear that the SBUT will create an exclusive enclave for the Bohras. In addition, they had alleged that the SBUT was planning to create an exclusive Bohra enclave.
“We are not shown any concrete plans and just fancy models. How can we just give our consent?,” asked Juber Khan, a resident.
T he SBUT meanwhile claimed that 77 % of the tenants —from a total of 3,200 residential and 1,250 commercial premises—have signed the consent agreement forms for revamp.

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