MUMBAI, July 8 -- The contract for the redevelopment of Motilal Nagar-Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority's (Mhada) largest housing layout-was formally signed on Monday, four months after it was awarded to Adani Properties, a subsidiary of the Ahmedabad-based Adani Group. The Rs.36,000-crore project aims to transform the 143-acre Motilal Nagar I, II, and III layout in Goregaon West into a modern residential hub, built around the concept of a "15-minute city"-a model that promises access to transport, healthcare, education, shopping, and entertainment within a 15-minute radius. A source familiar with the development confirmed the signing of the construction and development agency (CDA) agreement on Monday. This will be Mhada's second key-to-key redevelopment initiative-after the BDD Chawl projects in Worli and Naigaon-where residents are shifted from old tenements directly into new flats on the same site, without being required to pay rent or seek alternate accommodation during construction. The redevelopment will rehouse 3,372 residential units, 328 commercial structures, and around 1,600 slum dwellings. The new residential units will be built over 5.84 lakh square metres, while 987 square metres will be allocated for commercial rehabilitation. Importantly, the layout-home to around 20% green cover-will be redeveloped with a mandate to preserve the existing greenery. In the tendering process, Adani Properties outbid Larsen & Toubro by offering to hand over 3.97 lakh square metres of built-up area to Mhada, as compared to L&T's offer of 2.6 lakh square metres. Despite the formalisation of the contract, Adani Properties declined to comment on the development. The project is slated for completion within seven years from the start of construction. The redevelopment, however, has not been without opposition. Earlier this year, a group of residents challenged Mhada's plan in the Bombay High Court, questioning the decision to redevelop the entire layout through a single CDA contract rather than in smaller phases. The High Court upheld Mhada's decision. "Residents will get the new tenements as per the existing conditions," a Mhada official told Hindustan Times....