Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, May 21: In a major pre-monsoon alert, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has declared 96 residential buildings in South Mumbai as extremely dangerous and urged immediate evacuation of residents to avoid potential tragedies during the monsoon.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in a separate notice, has also listed 134 dilapidated structures across the city, issuing urgent eviction warnings to their occupants.

MHADA officials revealed that the most vulnerable buildings are located in densely populated areas like Girgaum, Kalbadevi, Khetwadi, Chowpatty, Prabhadevi, Mazgaon, Dadar, Matunga, Parel, and Lalbag, with over 3,000 tenants currently residing in them.

“These structures were identified through MHADA’s regular pre-monsoon structural audits conducted by the Mumbai Building Repairs and Reconstruction Board (MBRRB),” the authority stated. Two of the 96 buildings were also marked dangerous in last year’s 2024 list.

Despite repeated warnings, many residents resist evacuation due to emotional and social attachments to their communities. MHADA provides transit accommodations, but redevelopment of these aging and hazardous structures remains a complex and ongoing issue in Mumbai’s real estate ecosystem.

Earlier this month, MHADA issued appeals to owners and tenants of over 13,000 unsafe buildings to expedite redevelopment processes, warning that the upcoming monsoon could pose life-threatening risks.

With monsoon season approaching, both MHADA and BMC have ramped up efforts to prevent disasters, urging timely evacuation and cooperation from residents and housing societies.