Mumbai, July 29 -- In 2016, over nine years ago the state government decided that the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) would redevelop the Bombay Development Department Chawls (BDD). Finally, by this Independence day, the first lot of the homes are likely to be handed over to their new residents. The BDD Chawls, built between 1920 and 1925 by the Bombay Development Department, were among the first batches of affordable urban housing for migrant workers who worked in the textile mills, docks and railways. According to a senior MHADA official, 556 housing units are ready in Worli, and an Occupation Certificate for them was issued a few days ago. MHADA is waiting to hear from the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and his two deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, to finalise the date for the handover ceremony. The function, which was to be held on March 30, on the occasion of Gudi Padwa, the Maharashtrian new year, was delayed by issues at the construction sites. However, later this year MHADA is set to finish constructing a total of 3,989 flats across Worli, Naigaon, and N M Joshi Road, said the official. Residents of these flats will be moving from 160 sq.ft homes to new 500 sq.ft flats, each having a living room, a master bedroom with an attached bathroom, a second bedroom with a separate bathroom, a dining area, and an area for the washing machine and other amenities. MHADA officials said that a club house, a school, a hospital, a playground, a library, a welfare centre, a dispensary, a society office and a community hall will be provided. General secretary, Akhil BDD Chawl Bhadekaru Hakk Sarankshan Samiti, Kiran Mane, said, "Each of the owners will also get a parking space apart from monthly maintenance being taken care of for the next 12 years." He added that a fund will be set aside for the maintenance of the society for 12 years. In March 2016, the Maharashtra government had issued a government resolution (GR) appointing MHADA in charge of the redevelopment project. In 2018, MHADA took up the Rs.16,000 crore work of redeveloping the BBD chawls of which 121 chawls are in Worli, 42 in Naigaon, and 32 in NM Joshi Marg. In 2021, for the project's first phase, MHADA began constructing 14 buildings at Worli, two of which are now ready. Each is set to have 40 floors, and a total of 33 buildings are to be built to house the 9,689 residents of the BDD Chawl in Worli. MHADA officials said they plan to use 68% of the freed up land for rehabilitating the original tenants, and recover the construction costs, by making the rest available to private developers in an open market....