The Times of India  24.08.2010

MUMBAI: The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), which currently operates out of a Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) building in Bandra (E), will in a week's time move to a sprawling office nearby. The new SRA office, located near the Bandra (E) railway station, is spread over 40,000 sq ft and has come with a price tag of Rs 50 crore.

The office will be inaugurated by the chief minister Ashok Chavan. The shifting is already underway and attendants keep flitting around the polished granite stairs, hauling up files of various slum projects in the city.

The new SRA office is located right next to that of realty giant HDIL. To gain access to new SRA office, one has to walk through the HDIL compound which is lined with swanky cars, including Mercedes and Porsche SRA's chief executive officer Sambhaji Zende Patil told TOI that the new office has been built by Mhada. "We will soon built a wall to separate our office from that of HDIL," he said. "We bought the new office space for Rs 43 crore and have spent Rs 7 crore on doing up the interiors. But this is still cheap considering the prevalent market rate."

The new SRA office is now ground plus five and will house 139 staffers who process all the slum redevelopment schemes. "Our old office was cramped. The new office will allow us to function in a more organized manner," he added.