MUMBAI: The plan to redevelop 207 BDD (Bombay Development Department) chawls, which are more than 93 years old, might finally see the light of day after 15 years. ​

PWD minister Chandrakant Patil announced on Friday that the redevelopment process for the chawls would start in a year. Patil was answering a starred question raised Vijay alias Bhai Girkar in the legislative council.

BJP MLC Ramnath Mote said the BDD buildings were in poor condition and demanded the minister visit the chawls to see things for himself. NCP MLC Prakash Binsale asked about the time-frame for redevelopment.

Sunil Tatkare of the NCP asked how 16,000 families would be accommodated during the redevelopment.

Patil said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had held a meeting with housing minister Prakash Mehta on BDD redevelopment and a meeting with Mhada officials and leaders from BDD areas was due.

The 207 buildings are spread over 93 acres of land in Worli, Dadar (E), Sewri and Lower Parel. Each building has 80 rooms. The buildings fall under the PWD.

“The buildings were constructed in 1920 and most of them are dilapidated and need to be redeveloped as soon as possible,” Patil said.

Housing minister Prakash Mehta announced that the government would come up with a comprehensive hou- sing policy in May first week.

“The new comprehensive housing policy will be applicable to all BDD and BIT chawls, Mhada buildings in the city as well as Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana, Indira Gandhi, Shabari, Ramai Awas Yojanas in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ambarnath and other parts of the state,” Mehta said.

He said the government would build 11 lakh affordable homes under the new policy.

“Due to changes in the housing policy, developers do not come forward,” he said. “In 2006, when the earlier government decided to impose a premium instead of acquiring housing stock, Mhada had received 900 proposals, but the policy changed in 2013 and the proposals that remained were 75, of which not a single project has been initiated.”

