New Homes for City Heroes: CM Fadnavis to Hand Over BMC Staff Quarters in Colaba
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis will distribute keys to sanitation workers for new housing under the BMC Ashray Yojana Phase-2 in Colaba.
In a significant move to provide dignity and stability to the city's frontline workers, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is set to hand over the keys to newly constructed staff quarters in Colaba this Friday. These residences are part of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Ashray Yojana Phase-2, specifically designed to support the individuals who keep Mumbai clean.
A Long-Awaited Milestone for Sanitation Workers
The key handover ceremony will take place at Rajwadkar Street, Panchsheel Nagar, in Colaba. For the beneficiaries, this event marks the end of a long wait. The housing project, intended for sanitation and conservancy workers, had previously encountered substantial delays due to complicated land clearance and lease issues.
The project is strategically located around Cochin Street and Kalikat Street in South Mumbai's Colaba/Fort area. By providing housing near their operational beats, the BMC aims to ensure that these essential workers have safe, hygienic, and permanent residences, acknowledging their critical role in maintaining the city's public health infrastructure.
Project Details and Investment
The development is a testament to the BMC's commitment to worker welfare under its flagship Ashray Yojana scheme. Here are the key highlights of the construction:
- Financial Investment: The project is valued at approximately ₹17 crore.
- Structure: A ground-plus-nine-storey building.
- Space: The building spans 489.14 square metres.
- Capacity: It houses 54 self-contained flats, with each unit measuring around 238 square feet.
- Land Acquisition: The plot was partly leased from the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT).
The path to completion saw a formal bhoomi pujan ceremony in October 2024, led by Maharashtra Assembly Speaker and local MLA Rahul Narwekar, which set the stage for the final delivery of these homes.
Civic Action in Juhu: Ajay Devgn's Bungalow Demolished
While the BMC is expanding housing for its workers, it has also been strict regarding building regulations in other parts of the city. In a separate development, the civic body recently took action against the residence of Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn in the Juhu area.
On Saturday, October 17, the BMC demolished portions of the actor's bungalow due to alleged unauthorised construction. This action followed a notice issued on September 10, which ordered an immediate halt to construction and requested the submission of necessary permissions and documents.
According to the BMC, the unauthorised modifications included:
- Internal alterations to the structure.
- The installation of partition walls.
- New windows and other construction activities carried out without official approval.
The civic body proceeded with the demolition under Section 354A of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, stating that the construction work had continued despite the formal warnings issued to the property owner.