BDD Chawl residents raise concerns over health and construction issues

While the handover of the newly redeveloped D and E wings of the BDD Chawl in Mumbairsquos Worli was marked with enthusiasm on August 14 the reality for residents who have shifted to their new homes has been far from smooth Health hazards incomplete construction infrastructure failures and unfair electricity billing have left many families frustrated and concernedMaharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar inaugurated the new housing project and handed over keys to the first 16 families However many families have delayed relocating due to festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi or other personal reasons Some are still waiting to get possession of their homesView this post on InstagramA post shared by midday middayindiaNewly redeveloped D and E wings of the BDD Chawl in Mumbairsquos Worli PIC MANJEET THAKURHealth concernsResidents collectively raised the issue with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC demanding pest control in the areaFogging was eventually carried out in some common areas such as the podium and parking but only after Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority MHADA and Tata Projects were informed about it Residents claim this was a onetime fogging and not enough to combat the growing mosquito problemDevanand Dhika 62 a resident of the 40th floor in D Wing said ldquoI felt good shifting back but soon after shifting I got chikungunya Itrsquos been a month and Irsquom still unwell The mosquito menace is terrible We urge the BMC to take this issue seriouslyrdquo He moved to his new flat on August 14 with his family of nineDevanand Dhika 62 and his wife Kalavati Dikha 60 in their new redeveloped home in Mumbais Worli PIC MANJEET THAKURHis wife Kalavati 60 added that the water tank was unclean causing her entire family including grandchildren to fall ill ldquoWersquove spent over Rs 1 lakh on medical expenses since the time we moved in Our children got sick first then us Even my son fell ill Wersquore spending more than what we earn because of these problemsrdquo she said Cleanliness in the buildings is another major concern Only one cleaning lady comes to collect garbage but lobbies and lifts are left uncleanedThe construction of wings A and F is still underway and may take over a year to complete Similarly painting plumbing electrical and other finishing works are still pending in wings B C and G The residents who have moved in D and E wings claim that the construction work around is causing serious health concernsFaulty infrastructure in redeveloped homesResidents claim they made several complaints regarding the quality of construction including water leakage from ceilings and floors uneven and loose tiles nonfunctional taps and wash basins and missing or broken door handlesApart from these there are only two or three of the four lifts are operational in many cases with vibrations broken floors and malfunctioning buttonsBajrang Kale a resident of the 36th floor in D Wing PIC ANUSHREE GAIKWADResidents also stated that complaints usually take 15ndash30 days or more to be resolved ldquoWe were given an agencyrsquos contact for repairs Sometimes they send a carpenter or a technician If the issue is fixed good if not we keep waitingrdquo said Bajrang Kale a resident of the 36th floor in D Wing while speaking to middaycomAnother resident who lives on the 26th floor said ldquoWe moved in on September 21 and the bathroom started leaking immediately Itrsquos been fourndashfive days since we have complained We also had to spend Rs 30000 from our own savings to install invisible safety grills for our children These grills should be provided by the authorities We request at least basic safety features be taken seriouslyrdquoResident of the 26th floor D wing BDD Chawl Redeveloped home PIC MANJEET THAKURMany residents claim that they had to pay out of their own pockets to fix basic issues in the newly constructed homesDespite being promised two years of free maintenance by Tata and 10 years by MHADA residents claim that the work by the contracted electricians plumbers and carpenters are not up to standard ldquoWe were shown glossy presentations about modern homes but the reality is completely different We feel ignoredrdquo said Kale adding ldquoMany sockets sparked and failed the day people moved in Residents had to call private electricians MHADA or Tata didnrsquot helprdquoLeaking ceilings bathrooms and even floors have raised questions about the waterproofing quality in the buildings ldquoEven after repeated complaints workers donrsquot return with answers Residents are being told therersquos a shortage of materialsrdquo residents saidElectricity billing issuesAdding to the frustration residents have now received electricity bills dating back to May June and July despite having received possession of the flats only in AugustldquoBEST Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport installed meters in May but residents werenrsquot even given keys then Some havenrsquot even shifted yet but are being forced to pay the fixed charges of Rs 400 for power and other monthly billsrdquo Kale explainedSeptember 2025 bill under MHADAs name PIC SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTHe also stated that the bills are under MHADArsquos name ldquoWersquove requested NOCs noobjection certificates to transfer them to our namesrdquo he saidResidents call for immediate actionDespite the emotional return to their rebuilt homes residents feel let down by the poor execution ldquoWersquore happy to be back in our locality but these issues are inexcusable MHADA and Tata must ensure proper waterproofing pest control electrical safety and timely repairsrdquo residents saidDust and litter in the lobby and lift PICS MANJEET THAKURResidents now await immediate and concrete action from the BMC MHADA and Tata Projects to ensure that the dream of redevelopment does not become a burden for themMHADArsquos responseMilind Borikar Chief Officer MHADA Mumbai Board said ldquoWe have provided several facilities for the residents here In case of any complaints a special register has been allotted where residents can note down their issues Tata is a reputed company and should not be facing such problems As for cleanliness there is still ongoing construction work so we will ensure regular cleaning Itrsquos only been a few months and things will take some time to settle