The Supreme Court has cleared the way for redevelopment of the Bharat Nagar slum at Bandra in Mumbai.

The Apex Court has dismissed an appeal filed by few residents attempting to stall the project and ruled that the appellants were using “dilatory tactics” and were ineligible slum dwellers. The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) had surveyed 2,965 slum structures in Bharat Nagar, of which 2,625 were deemed eligible for rehabilitation. Over 70 per cent of these residents had already consented to redevelopment.

Saarathi Realtors played a key role in securing this Supreme Court order, unlocking Bharat Nagar’s redevelopment. “From the outset, we were entrusted by Forum Homes to manage Bharat Ekta Cooperative Society’s redevelopment, ensuring a seamless process of slum evacuation and rehabilitation,” said Rajiv Agrawal, Co-Founder of Saarathi Realtors.

“Our team took charge of negotiations, resettlement and community engagement to drive the project forward despite challenges,” he said.

Bharat Nagar spans 44 acres and has 7,200-7,700 tenements, comprising 3,700 MHADA tenants and 3,500-4,000 Photo Pass tenants. It is divided into 22 societies and is being redeveloped by multiple developers, including Omkar, Budhpur Adani, Forum Homes and HDIL.

Bombay HC order

A Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and KV Chandran upheld the Bombay High Court’s January 4, 2023, judgement that rejected challenges to SRA’s eviction notice.

The appellants had argued that the land was a MHADA layout and should be redeveloped under Regulation 33(5) of the Development Control Regulations (DCR) rather than under the slum redevelopment Regulation 33(10). However, the Apex Grievance Redressal Committee had already dismissed their claims in 2019, stating that MHADA had consistently maintained the plot was never part of its designated layout.

Ajit Pawar, Co-Founder of Saarathi Realtors, said certain slum dwellers attempted to disrupt the process and hold the developer to ransom. Saarathi Realtors assembled an expert legal team to counter these objections and present the case before the Supreme Court.

Sanctioned in 2010, the Bharat Nagar redevelopment project involves merging three plots. While Phase I is complete, Phase II stalled due to residents resisting vacating their premises.