The BDD Chawls in Mumbai stood in the central part of the city for more than a hundred years. For the nearly 16,000 families living there, mostly for generations, these chawls had become an integral part of their lives. However, as the conditions of these chawls became dilapidated, living there increasingly became miserable and unsafe for the residents. Apart from water dripping in the monsoon through cracked walls and ceilings, single-room tenements and shared bathrooms were no longer acceptable living standards for large families. However, despite years of demands from residents, the BDD Chawl redevelopment project was not progressing due to the negligence of the successive governments until Devendra Fadnavis came to power for the first time. In 2017, CM Fadnavis launched the Rs 17000 crore BDD chawl redevelopment plan. The plan includes rehousing the residents of more than 16,000 apartments in the new buildings for free. The first phase of that project, a 40-story high-rise building of 500 sq. ft. homes built on prime real estate in Matunga, was completed after he became the chief minister again in 2025. On August 14, 2025, 556 residents of the BDD Chawl Redevelopment Project in Worli were ceremoniously handed the keys to their new houses by the Chief Minister.
Devendra Fadnavis, keen to improve the quality of life for Mumbai residents, gave the required thrust to the BDD Chawl Redevelopment Project in 2015. Besides directing the Bombay Development Department to submit its Chawl redevelopment proposal to MHADA, he personally looked into removing the administrative red tape so that the project could be completed on time and in a proper manner. Once the responsibility of the BDD Chawl Redevelopment Plan was entrusted to MHADA and the eligibility and agreement verifications were carried out, the project works were awarded to expert companies like Tata Projects Limited and Capacity Infra Projects. The entire project, set to rehabilitate 15,593 families, has been allotted 86 acres of land in the city. Chawl families living in 160 sq. ft. rooms are being given ownership rights to modern and well-furnished 500 sq. ft. flats Amenities, such as lifts, granite kitchens, vitrified flooring, fire safety systems, parking, and green landscapes, have also been provided to these flats.
Building a new future on a historic site!
The first phase of the BDD Chawl redevelopment project in Worli was completed on August 14, 2025. 556 residents of BDD Chawl in Worli were successfully rehabilitated through a ceremonial handover of houses. This historic event was attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, both Deputy Chief Ministers, cabinet ministers, MLAs, senior citizens who have been living in BDD Chawls for years, and other dignitaries. While distributing the keys of these houses, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, rekindling the old memories of the chawl residents, gave emotional advice that these houses in prime areas should not be sold out by the chawl families merely for financial gains but should be preserved for future generations like they would with gold ornaments. This redevelopment is not just about converting old chawls into new buildings; rather, this is a project to give a new dimension to a hundred-year-old social, economic, and cultural history. The old BDD Chawl was the first home in the city for thousands of families who migrated to Mumbai from all corners of the state. Today, a new future is emerging on this historic site.
Converting a Chawl into a Museum
The BDD Chawl Redevelopment Project has given equal importance to conserving the site as social heritage. While the original looks of Jamboree Maidan and Ambedkar Maidan have been recreated and preserved, the effort is on to convert an old chawl into a museum to keep the memory of chawl living alive.
Celebration of happiness of the chawl residents and willpower of Fadnavis
MHADA will also provide 12 years of maintenance service for these houses. This gives the residents long-term assurance regarding the construction. With the completion of the first phase of redevelopment, the dream of thousands of families that had been delayed for decades has begun to be fulfilled. Tears of joy were seen in the eyes of many beneficiaries during the rehabilitation ceremony. The families, who lived for generations in a one-room tenement and faced many difficulties for so many years, have now got their own 500 sq. ft. houses. Words cannot express the feelings of the chawl residents present there, but the joy that overflowed from their faces was truly telling.
It is not in the fortune of every political leader to see such happiness in people and receive their blessings the way Devendra Fadnavis received them from the thousands of chawl residents. Even for himself, the BDD chawl redevelopment project was more than just constructing new buildings in its place, but to draw satisfaction from giving thousands of helpless chawl residents new homes and dignified living conditions. This BDD Chawl Redevelopment project is a good example of what can be achieved by taking strategic decisions, combining them with political will, and implementing them with honesty and public interest in mind.
Related articles: