First Batch Of Tenants To Soon Get Homes In Bhendi Bazaar Makeover

The twin highrises of Al-Sa’adah—Arabic for joy or good fortune—are the first of the 13 such towers to be built. Some 85 of 120 businesses have already moved in, while 614 families are expected to start shifting in three months.

Murtaza Halvadwala will have a home there. His family lived in 80-year-old Taiyevi Manzil till about seven years ago. Six people shared a 230-square-foot room, paying Rs 240 monthly rent. The flooring was damaged, walls had cracks, power cables dangled dangerously, and the area was dirty, Halvadwala, 42, said. Living in a transit apartment some three kilometres away in Anjeerwadi, they will shift to their bigger 350-square-foot home soon.

The Rs 5,000-crore redevelopment of Bhendi Bazaar is one of India’s biggest urban makeovers that will alter the skyline of the world’s second-most crowded city. And just like the redevelopment of the century-old BDD Chawls, it will turn tenants into owners. The Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust, funding the project through donations and sale of extra apartments and shops, will rehabilitate 3,200 families and 1,250 businesses located in one of the most congested parts of Mumbai.

Bhendi Bazaar is the colloquial version of ‘behind the bazaar’—or behind Crawford Market, one of the most famous shopping hubs in Mumbai. Dawoodi Bohra, Memon, Gujarati, Sindhi, Parsi and Kutchi traders set up businesses here because of its proximity to the harbour. Over the years, dormitories came up offering lodging services to traders and migrant workers. Eventually, families joined. The neighbourhood turned into a crowded-but-thriving market for everything from hardware to apparel, and home to mostly Dawoodi Bohra Muslims.

Most buildings are about 100 years old, and nearly 80 percent were declared unsafe as rickety structures became dangerous to live. The late Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, the 52nd religious head of the community, founded the charitable trust to rebuild the neighbourhood under Maharashtra’s cluster redevelopment policy. That entailed bringing down 250 crumbling structures and constructing 13 towers of at least 35 storeys each across 16.5 acres—an area as big as four average-sized cricket fields. Existing mosques and religious structures will be retained.

The trust divided the area into seven sub-clusters. Almost 80 percent of the land is being used to rehabilitate residents. And the buildings are inspired by Fatimid architecture with a facade having arches and lattice work.

The ground and first two floors will house businesses, while the next few levels are reserved for parking. The project aims at sustainable living with solar panels, a sewage treatment plant and organic waste converter. The trust will set aside a corpus to maintain the buildings for the first 10 years.

“The whole idea was not just to build a concrete jungle. Bhendi Bazaar is very old, has a cultural heritage and people connect with that,” said Yusuf London, a senior administrator of the trust. “The master plan is laid in such a way that despite it being modernised, it will retain the culture that Bhendi Bazaar has had for many years.”

Prime Location

While the project was planned in 2009, construction began in 2016. Tenants who had moved to the locality before June 13, 1996 were eligible for homes if they could provide any three of the 22 documents for occupancy proof—including rent receipts, electricity and phone bills, passports and voter identification card.

And the trust moved families to a different location. “We built our own transit buildings and people who were earlier living in less than 100 sqft were given 230-240 sqft apartments,” said London. “And those who did not want to stay in our transit accommodation were paid substantial rent.”

The redevelopment rules allow the trust to build additional living space. That will be sold at market rates to part-fund the project.

“The residential and commercial units that Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment will add to the market will have enough demand due to its prime location in the heart of the city with best connectivity,” said Gulam Zia, executive director-valuation & advisory, retail & hospitality at property consultant, Knight Frank. “Right-priced real estate here will have huge demand among the home seekers.”

Of the 250 buildings, the trust has already demolished 160 buildings and 30 buildings being razed. About 2,800 of 3,200 families and 750 of 1,250 businesses have been vacated.

Under the rehab policy, tenants get homes of up to 300 square-feet carpet area but the trust felt that it wasn’t enough for a reasonable lifestyle, London said. “The late Sayedna decided that every single family living under 300 sq ft should be given 350 sq ft.”

Businesses will get the same area as they had before.

Hasnain Changi, a bulk dealer of leather wallets, handbags and belts who had a shop in a dilapidated building in Bhendi Bazaar, has already shifted to at Al-Sa’adah. “The redevelopment came at the right time. Had it been delayed, that building would have collapsed,” he said.

Changi expects the new complex, with marble flooring and air-conditioning, to draw retail customers too. “My shop faces the road and I hope that this will increase the footfall.”

All commercial tenants are not that upbeat. Some are worried that they would lose business if shifted to the first or the second floor.

“We are not opposing the project. But we should get what is our right. We want that we should be allotted shop on the ground floor,” said S M Azhar, who runs a tailoring shop. “My business requires to be on the street and near the Masjid. If they fulfil our conditions, we won’t oppose it.”

Moyyad Shabbir Mithiawala, the owner of the famous Shabbir’s Twakkal Sweets, agreed. “If we are allotted a shop on the first or second floor we will lose out on our business. We get a lot of walk-in clients who come to buy just one ladoo or peda and they won’t come all the way to the first floor for that,” he said. But he is hopeful of being allotted a shop on the ground floor.

Holdouts

The charitable trust had to buy buildings from landlords for the makeover to go ahead. Convincing them was a challenge. And 10 percent of the buildings which have still not been handed over for redevelopment.

“This building is 80-90 years old and we have been living here for 35 years. All the buildings in our area have gone for redevelopment except ours,” said Abizer Attarwala, 71, the owner of a fan factory in Kurla. He owns two rooms in Adamji Peerbhai Chawl in Bhendi Bazaar shared by 13 members of his family. “From what we heard is that our landlord is asking for more money to sell the buildings. We are worried because the building is very weak. We are afraid of the coming monsoon. We are worried about the safety of our family members.”

Attarwala’s concerns are not misplaced. In 2017, 33 people died after the collapse of Hussaini Building, and old, dilapidated structure, in Bhendi Bazaar.

Still, not everyone agrees that redevelopment is the best option.

“Bhendi Bazaar may seem crowded but our studies have found that it’s more feasible and sustainable than the highrises that are going to replace them,” said Prasad Shetty, urbanist and associate professor, School of Environment and Architecture, Mumbai. He doesn’t see constructing new buildings with higher density in an already dense place as a solution.

“Repair and retrofit could have been a better option as we need to un-densify urban areas, he said, adding that the new towers will put pressure on the existing infrastructure, environment, social life and all other resources. There will be more cars on the already narrow roads, the new design will take away the sense of community living from the people which provided them with basic safety and security, according to Shetty. “There will be an erosion of culture and traditional businesses.”

Zia of Knight Frank doesn’t think so. “SBUT has taken every step possible to ensure minimal burden on the city’s infrastructure,” he said. “The setbacks and wide tree-lined roads that are planned will only add a much-needed relief to the congested areas of Bhendi Bazaar.”

Murtaza Halvadwala’s family is happy that Bhendi Bazaar is being redeveloped. And they like their new apartment at Al-Sa’aadah. It’s spacious, has enough sunlight, 24x7 water, two toilettes, he said. “We were staying as tenants and we have our own home. That makes us proud.”

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