Pune: The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has taken a proactive step towards resolving the city’s long-standing slum crisis by initiating the tender process for rehabilitating two of Pune's major slums located on government land. 

This is the first time the authority has directly led such an effort, marking a significant shift in its approach to urban rehabilitation.

Since its inception in 2005, the SRA’s objective has been to transform Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad into slum-free cities. Despite these efforts, the progress has been slow, largely due to policy revisions and bureaucratic hurdles. 

In 2015, changes to the Floor Space Index (FSI) rules by the previous government caused numerous rehabilitation projects to come to a standstill.

With the change in state leadership in 2019, many expected a revamp of the SRA’s guidelines. However, the new government opted to allow construction projects through alternative means, which only added further complications. 

To address this, the SRA submitted a revised policy framework to the state government, seeking approval. After a prolonged wait of over two years, the government finally greenlit the new guidelines in 2022.

These revised guidelines have empowered the SRA to directly invite tenders for slum rehabilitation projects, which it is now utilizing for the first time. 

The authority has launched tenders for two key locations in Pune: Patil Estate and Laxminagar. Both areas are situated on prime government-owned land and have long been in need of redevelopment.

The Patil Estate slum spans approximately 4.5 acres and is owned by the Government College of Engineering. It was recorded to have 1,140 slums during a 2016 survey, but that number has since grown to nearly 2,000.

Meanwhile, the Laxminagar slum covers around 2 acres and is home to 450 slums, with the land owned by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).

The SRA is implementing the 'DBOT' (Design, Build, Operate, Transfer) model to ensure the rehabilitation process is efficient and transparent. This model allows for the design, construction, operation, and eventual transfer of the project to the government.

The Larger Picture: Pune's Slum Crisis
Despite having 486 slums in Pune and 71 in Pimpri-Chinchwad, the rehabilitation process has been painfully slow. In the last 15 years, only 8,343 slum dwellers have been rehabilitated—a mere 4% of the total slum population.

This latest tender process is a hopeful sign that the city's slum crisis may finally be addressed with greater urgency.

As part of this first phase, the rehabilitation of over 2,500 slum dwellers from Patil Estate and Laxminagar is expected to be a major milestone in the city’s redevelopment efforts.