The Indian Express   16.08.2012

BMC to revive housing project for conservancy workers

After a four-year delay, the project to get one-room tenements
constructed to house conservancy workers is back on track, with the
civic administration planning to move ahead with it.

In 2008, the BMC had announced the project— Ashray (shelter)— for
conservancy workers. There are 28,000 workers sweeping the city’s
streets and shifting garbage to dumping grounds but only 4,554 civic
quarters, most of them dilapidated, scattered across the city for them
and their families.

The BMC had decided to make budgetary provisions for the project,
estimated to cost Rs 1,000 crore, in a staggered manner. Owing to
several hurdles and a change in administration, the project never really
took off.

In a recent meeting, Municipal Commissioner Sitaram Kunte decided
to immediately revive the project. Not only is the existing housing
grossly inadequate, seven of the 24 civic wards do not even have any
quarters for these workers.

The area include Chira Bazaar, Andheri-Jogeswari-Vileparle
(east), Chembur, Malad, Dahisar, Bandra-Santacruz East and King Circle
which have a high population density. Under Ashray, existing chawl-like
quarters will be redeveloped in addition to creating housing in
locations where there are none.

“Many workers are forced to live in slums around their workplace
as it is not possible for them to stay in the north and report to work,
say to Colaba, at the crack of dawn,” said architect PK Das, who has
been appointed by the civic body to design the self-contained
one-bedroom houses.

The plan to generate additional quarters was first mooted by the
then joint BMC commissioner V Radha who planned to execute the project
using municipal resources. Subsequent municipal commissioners either
wanted to rope in private developers to execute the project on the
grounds that BMC cannot bear the financial strain or were disinterested
in the project. “If we choose private public participation, then BMC
will have to give up part of the land and housing stock to the
developer. We have therefore decided to give cash contract using our own
budgetary allocation,” said Kunte.

He cited the example of Tulsiwadi conservancy quarters taken up for
redevelopment 12 years ago by a private developer. “Till date he has
delivered not one even of the 1,200 promised quarters. We will be
constructing the service quarters along transport corridor such as
railways as to ensure easy access for workers. We are pitching for a
floor space index (FSI) of four,” said Kunte.

He added that the project will be kicked off using the existing
FSI of 2.66 allowed for municipal buildings until higher FSI is approved
by the government. Civic authorities are expected to meet on Thursday
to zero-in on five locations that are in severely run-down condition and
require redevelopment on priority.

Of the 36 locations that house the existing quarters, 17 are in
the island city and 10 are in the western suburbs and 9 in the eastern
suburbs.