As many as 33 dilapidated buildings are part of sub-cluster II, and till date, 29 have been completely demolished; work on the remaining four is under process
Work on sub-clusters I and III of the project is expected to be completed by mid-2019
Even as work on sub-clusters I and III of the Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment project is on, the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust has started work on sub-cluster II, in June. As many as 33 dilapidated buildings are part of sub-cluster II, and till date, 29 have been completely demolished; work on the remaining four is under process.
An SBUT spokesperson said the shore piling work, which involves setting up concrete support for the building, started on June 16, and the excavation work is expected to begin in another couple of months. "We plan to complete the first phase of the project, i.e. sub-cluster I and III by mid-2019. We expect work on II to be completed within the next four years," he added.
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So far, over 350 residential and 125 commercial tenants have been evacuated from sub-cluster II's 33 buildings, while three commercial tenants are in the process of being relocated. A majority of the families was moved to the three transit buildings at Anjeerwadi, Ghodapdeo and Chunabhatti. However, the trust is also offering rental compensation for those who want to look for alternative accommodation on their own.
"All eligible residential tenants holding a certified area of up to 300 sqft are entitled to a rental compensation of Rs 30,000 a month for 24 months in advance. Premises having a certified existing carpet area of more than 300 sqft are paid rental compensation at Rs 100 extra per square foot," said the spokesperson.
The project, which comprises nine clusters, covers 250 dilapidated buildings. While 120 have been demolished and 20 are in the process of being razed down, 30 are yet to be acquired. Around 500 tenants have been reluctant to move out, and the Trust has been negotiating with them.
"We are actively engaging and counselling the remaining tenants, who are living in the dilapidated buildings, which stand vulnerable during monsoon, to move to safer accommodation," said the spokesperson.
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