Meeting was held on Monday to address the rehabilitation of Elphinstone Bridge residents, with the details of cluster redevelopment still pending and no relocation to Kurla promised. The discussion, which took place at 9:04 AM IST, involved key stakeholders such as Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Desai and MMRDA commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee. The main focus was on resolving the issues faced by residents of buildings like Haji Noorani and Laxmi Niwas, which are set to be demolished for the bridge’s reconstruction.
“They told us the cluster redevelopment matter is with the UDD, and will then go to the MMRDA, which will be carrying out the cluster redevelopment, in the next eight to ten days. Once we have it in writing, will we allow work on the bridge’s demolition proceed,” said Munaf Thakur, a resident of Haji Noorani building. As for the proposed relocation to Kurla, Thakur mentioned that residents were assured by the MMRDA commissioner that such a move would not take place. Instead, the MMRDA has proposed shifting them to nearby MHADA housing within the next three months, with the option of receiving rent in exchange for rehabilitation as a last resort.
Desai expressed that nothing has been finalized yet. “The residents are genuinely worried about being uprooted from the area they’ve called home for so long. The fear of being stuck in distant transit camps is very real for them,” he added. The current status of the matter is with the UDD, which will then instruct the MMRDA to take over as soon as possible. However, officials from MMRDA have remained tight-lipped on the issue and did not respond to requests for comment.
Residents impacted by the Elphinstone Bridge reconstruction project have been eagerly awaiting clarity on the rehabilitation plans. The assurance that they will not be relocated to Kurla has provided some relief, but the uncertainty surrounding the cluster redevelopment details continues to loom large. It remains to be seen how the situation will unfold in the coming days as the authorities work towards finding a viable solution for all those affected by the project.
