SRA terminates deal with Chamankar ( Chagan bhujbal fame) to redevelop Andheri slum
[The order passed by SRA CEO Vishwas Patil comes five years after BJP leader and MP Kirit Somaiya exposed how the developer was appointed by the state public works department, then headed by Chhagan Bhujbal, who is currently in jail.]
The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has terminated permission given to developer K S Chamankar Enterprises to redevelop a sprawling slum property on the Andheri regional transport office plot. The builder failed to start the project for almost two decades.
The order passed by SRA CEO Vishwas Patil comes five years after BJP leader and MP Kirit Somaiya exposed how the developer was appointed by the state public works department, then headed by Chhagan Bhujbal, who is currently in jail.
The PWD awarded Chamankar, a little-known contractor, the contract to build a new Maharashtra Sadan guest house in Delhi without inviting tenders in 2007. The agreement stipulated that Chamankar build three public buildings (including Maharashtra Sadan) at an estimated cost of a few hundred crores and hand them over to the state government.
Chamankar was compensated by being awarded slum development rights of the Andheri RTO, which would have fetched the developer more than Rs 4,000 crore. The SRA had sanctioned 8.57 lakh sq ft of sale floor space index (FSI) to the developer.
Last year, the state anti-corruption bureau filed a charge-sheet against Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer and 14 others in the Maharashtra Sadan case.
Patil told TOI on Monday that he terminated the letter of intent (LOI) granted to Chamankar to redevelop the plot. “The builder failed to start the project for 20 years,’’ he said. SRA sources said the developer had stopped paying rent to over 1,000 slum-dwellers for transit accommodation for two years.
“Although the Andheri land is costliest and prime real estate, the developers did not show much interest,’’ said the order.
Chamankar claimed the authorities did not cooperate and speedy approvals were not given by SRA.
“The SRA sanctioned around 8 lakh sq ft of FSI, which is like a goldmine, but the developer failed miserably in fulfilling the task of rehabilitation of slum-dwellers,’’ said the order.
During the last 20 years, the developer constructed only 155 rehab tenements for slum-dwellers of the 911 tenements it was stipulated to build.
SRA had accepted the developer’s proposal for redevelopment of slums in Anna Nagar, Kasam Nagar and Vithal Rukmini Nagar in 1999. The letter of intent was granted on October 27, 2004, for one slum and on June 26, 2006 for two others. An amended letter of intent was granted on July 9, 2007 and March 27, 2012.
On January 12, SRA served a notice on Chamankar Enterprises, P S Chamankar and Associates and all promoters of the cooperative housing societies set up by the slum-dwellers, asking why a new developer should not be appointed to complete the project.
Construction company L&T, which was in a joint development agreement with Chamankar, is believed to have offered to take over the project. It has paid Rs 600 crore as advance.
The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has terminated permission given to developer K S Chamankar Enterprises to redevelop a sprawling slum property on the Andheri regional transport office plot. The builder failed to start the project for almost two decades.
The order passed by SRA CEO Vishwas Patil comes five years after BJP leader and MP Kirit Somaiya exposed how the developer was appointed by the state public works department, then headed by Chhagan Bhujbal, who is currently in jail.
The PWD awarded Chamankar, a little-known contractor, the contract to build a new Maharashtra Sadan guest house in Delhi without inviting tenders in 2007. The agreement stipulated that Chamankar build three public buildings (including Maharashtra Sadan) at an estimated cost of a few hundred crores and hand them over to the state government.
Chamankar was compensated by being awarded slum development rights of the Andheri RTO, which would have fetched the developer more than Rs 4,000 crore. The SRA had sanctioned 8.57 lakh sq ft of sale floor space index (FSI) to the developer.
Last year, the state anti-corruption bureau filed a charge-sheet against Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer and 14 others in the Maharashtra Sadan case.
Patil told TOI on Monday that he terminated the letter of intent (LOI) granted to Chamankar to redevelop the plot. “The builder failed to start the project for 20 years,’’ he said. SRA sources said the developer had stopped paying rent to over 1,000 slum-dwellers for transit accommodation for two years.
“Although the Andheri land is costliest and prime real estate, the developers did not show much interest,’’ said the order.
Chamankar claimed the authorities did not cooperate and speedy approvals were not given by SRA.
“The SRA sanctioned around 8 lakh sq ft of FSI, which is like a goldmine, but the developer failed miserably in fulfilling the task of rehabilitation of slum-dwellers,’’ said the order.
During the last 20 years, the developer constructed only 155 rehab tenements for slum-dwellers of the 911 tenements it was stipulated to build.
SRA had accepted the developer’s proposal for redevelopment of slums in Anna Nagar, Kasam Nagar and Vithal Rukmini Nagar in 1999. The letter of intent was granted on October 27, 2004, for one slum and on June 26, 2006 for two others. An amended letter of intent was granted on July 9, 2007 and March 27, 2012.
On January 12, SRA served a notice on Chamankar Enterprises, P S Chamankar and Associates and all promoters of the cooperative housing societies set up by the slum-dwellers, asking why a new developer should not be appointed to complete the project.
Construction company L&T, which was in a joint development agreement with Chamankar, is believed to have offered to take over the project. It has paid Rs 600 crore as advance.
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