India, Aug. 14 -- In the aftermath of Partition, the government rehabilitated Sindhi and Punjabi refugees who migrated from Pakistan by providing them with 361 sq ft homes in Mumbai's GTB Nagar in the 1950s. The homes were allotted at around Rs.5,300. More than seven decades later, these families are expected to receive larger 635 sq ft redeveloped homes, marking a significant shift in the housing conditions of communities that began rebuilding their lives in Mumbai after Independence.

These refugee families, settled in what is now Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar in Sion Koliwada, were allotted apartments of around 40 square yards, or approximately 360 sq ft, for about Rs.5,380 each. The rate worked out to roughly Rs.14-15 per sq ft.

The homes ...