Residents of old, dilapidated buildings in the city may see some succour in terms of moving to transit accommodation.
A proposal by a committee for housing has suggested that residents of buildings undergoing redevelopment be shifted in a transit accommodation within two kilometres of the building of their residence.
One of the top reasons why residents of such buildings don't vacate their homes is because of their reluctance to move to distant suburbs.
"We have our workplaces and doctors close by, (so) if we get a transit accommodation in this area itself it will be better," said a tenant in the Girgaum area.
The suggestion comes from the committee of MLAs that was formed to find a solution to issues related to housing in the city, particularly those of redevelopment of old buildings in the city, of which there are nearly 14,000, most in South Mumbai.
While the suggestion will help tenants and developers alike, as tenants can move to transit homes closer to their existing ones, some developers claim that Mhada transit camps are in the suburbs and hence finding temporary homes in the city is a difficult task.
"We give rent to most of the tenants, and they find a home in nearby locations and shift. However, there are many tenants who don't vacate and for them, MHADA Transit camps have to be arranged, which are in far-off places," said Arqam Shaikh, of Arc Associated a firm that deals with the redevelopment of old buildings.
"Finding proper transit accommodation in city limits is difficult," he added. As a result, developers prefer to pay the residents rent instead of providing for transit homes.
