After decades of living in cramped rooms measuring around 160 sq ft and using shared toilets, hundreds of families from Mumbai’s iconic BDD (Bombay Development Directorate) chawls will soon start a new chapter — literally with the turn of a key. On Thursday, residents from the first phase of the BDD Chawl Redevelopment Project received possession of their brand-new flats in high-rise towers, marking a historic milestone in one of the city’s most ambitious housing transformation projects, further boosting the national goal of housing for all.

A new high-rise, which stands where the BDD chawls stood, in Worli. PIC/KIRTI SURVE PARADE

The keys were handed over by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. While it was initially announced that all 556 eligible residents from two completed rehabilitation buildings would be handed over keys, due to time constraints, only 16 owners received their keys as a sign of successful completion. The BDD chawls, built in the 1920s to house mill workers and government employees, have been a defining feature of central Mumbai for nearly a century. Rows of low-rise buildings with open verandas and common water taps became more than just homes — they were tightly-knit communities where neighbours became extended family. But over time, the structures deteriorated, and calls for redevelopment grew louder.