‘Heritage tag to lead to redevelopment woes in Chembur’

MUMBAI: Around 200 residents of Chembur on Thursday attended a public hearing on the proposal to declare their area a heritage precinct. This comes amid apprehension that if old buildings in Chembur get a heritage tag, their owners will not be able to redevelop the structures.
“There is no such thing called as Old Chembur. This whole area does not qualify to be declared as a heritage precinct.It doesn’t have any historical importance. It is not aesthetically or artistically designed. The buildings have no symmetry as such,” said Rajkumar Sharma, a resident Diamond Garden, Chembur.
The Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) has stated that Chembur precinct is located to the south-west of the Chembur railway station. It is surrounded by Beggars’ Home on the west (along R C Marg), V N Purav Road (Sion Trombay Road) on the south, Subash Nagar Ghatla village on the east and M G Acharya Road on the north. Chembur precinct consists of three sub-precincts—Chembur Gaothan, Old Chembur and St Anthony’s Society, the committee said in a letter addressed to the residents.
Residents said unlike certain structures, Chembur precinct had not been graded. “This means there is no clarity on the entire proposal. Though nothing has been finalized, residents are not being allowed to redevelop their buildings. Once declared a heritage precinct, we will not even be able to paint our buildings without permission,” said another resident.