Since its inception in 1995, the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has provided 97,368 housing units to project affected people (PAPs) in Mumbai, official data shows. These houses were built as part of slum redevelopment projects, under which developers are required to build additional apartments for PAP based on the density of the slum. Depending on the project requirements and priority, the flats are transferred to executing agencies like the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) or the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) at a cost of Rs 12.5 lakh per unit.

In the last few months, 95 flats affected by the Thane-Borivali twin tunnels project were allotted to PAP, while another 135 flats are currently under construction. The SRA has also allotted 111 tenements for squatter rehabilitation within the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the relocation of which has been pending for decades and the subject of multiple orders from the Bombay High Court. Officials said that while 111 families have been relocated, the number of squatters in the national park is estimated to be in the thousands.

Another 62 apartments have been reserved for PAPs affected by the construction of the Annabhau Sathe memorial in Ghatkopar. Over the past year, 211 flats have been transferred to families displaced by the construction of the new Bombay High Court complex in Bandra East.

A breakdown of the total allocations shows that 26,762 flats were handed over to the BMC, while 51,888 flats were transferred to the MMRDA. For Metro-related projects, 11,429 families were rehoused, while another 8,909 households were assigned directly to the PAPs through the SRA.

Officials said housing provided over the past three decades has played a crucial role in enabling major infrastructure projects across Bombayeven as the demand for housing for rehabilitation remains high.