India, May 19 -- Redevelopment plans in three prominent Mumbai localities have residents and MHADA on a collision course. Residents in all three localities say state-led urban renewal is taking away their autonomy over their own homes.

Last year, MNHADA notified Construction and Development Agency (C&DA) model, also known as 'cluster redevelopment', in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Nagar in Andheri, Bandra Reclamation and Adarsh Nagar in Worli. However, in all three neighbourhoods, individual housing societies already have redevelopment plans underway, but MHADA is allegedly stalling them in some instances, aiming to bring as many societies as possible under its cluster model.

Under the C&DA model, MHADA, as the land-owning authority, ...