In a Ganeshotsav windfall, the Maharashtra government has decided to give ownership of houses to police personnel for just Rs 15 lakh under the BDD Chawl redevelopment scheme, officials said here on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had made the announcement in the legislature last week and the Housing Department issued the detailed orders to the effect here on Tuesday, said the officials.

All the police personnel, working or retired, or the families and legal heirs of the deceased, residing in the BDD Chawls till January 1, 2011, shall be eligible to get 500 square feet houses on an ownership basis, on the construction cost of Rs 15 lakh.

The police personnel is living in the century-old British Development Department Chawls complexes in Worli, Naigaon, and N.M. Joshi Marg.

The Maharashtra Housing & Area Development Authority (MHADA) would incur losses since the homes would be given on a permanent ownership basis to the police personnel.

The state government will foot 70 percent of the losses and the MHADA would bear the remainder for the scheme, described as a welfare measure and to ease the problems of housing for police personnel.

In August 2021, the then Maha Vikas Aghadi government of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress led by Uddhav Thackeray launched the much-delayed BDD Chawls redevelopment project.

Labeled as the biggest cluster development project of its kind in Asia, it is estimated to cost around Rs 20,000 crore.

The MVA had taken up razing the 207 century-old buildings where 32 swank towers with all modern facilities would come up to shift and house the 17,000-odd families living in the BDD Chawls.

The redevelopment project is being executed by Tatas, L&T, and Shapoorji Pallonji groups with buildings rising to 40-stories and 22-stories, parking, at least 4 schools, gardens, playgrounds, mini-hospitals, welfare centers, shopping plazas, etc, to be ready in the next 3 to 8 years. (AA/IANS)