MUMBAI, Sept. 14 -- With a huge requirement for rehabilitation housing, the BMC aims to generate between 5,000 and 10,000 Project Affected Persons (PAP) tenements in each administrative zone of the city. Yet, even as it faces this imperative and has committed thousands of crores of rupees towards PAP projects, it is considering releasing 1,802.75 sq metres of land reserved specifically for rehabilitation and resettlement at Majas in Jogeshwari East. The BMC has approved 34,129 PAP tenements so far. A PAP statement cited in a representation to the civic administration also puts the number of tenements covered by five major projects at 33,332, involving an estimated Rs.20,751.67 crore in project costs and around Rs.15,117.81 crore in credit notes. Of these, credit notes worth approximately Rs.4,741.65 crore have already been issued. Despite the scale of the requirement, a proposal before the BMC's Improvement Committee seeks to delete the reservation and include the land in the adjoining residential zone, which has MHADA buildings that need to be redeveloped. Questions have been raised about why a separate parcel reserved for future rehabilitation should be surrendered to facilitate residential development. The larger plot which encompasses the 1,802.75-sq-metre rehab component is also a significant public-purpose land resource. Under the earlier Development Plan, it carried reservations for public housing, a bus station, secondary schools, playgrounds, a post office, roads and other amenities. Under DP 2034, it continues to carry several public-purpose reservations and civic facilities, including schools, playgrounds, a police station, BEST bus facility and affordable housing apart from rehabilitation and resettlement. Ashraf Azmi, Congress group leader in the BMC, demanded that the BMC establish if MHADA redevelopment can occur without sacrificing the rehab reservation or identify equivalent land to replace the loss. He questioned automatically converting the entire 1,802.75-square-metre parcel into a residential zone rather than reserving it for public housing or social infrastructure. The Congress leader sought details on additional development potential-FSI, TDR, and saleable area-and whether financial premiums would accrue to the BMC. He urged pausing modifications until financial and planning implications are assessed. The timing also raises questions, as MHADA's deletion request came long after 2024 permissions. Deferred last week, the proposal will soon return to the improvements committee....