URBAN PLANNING: CLUSTER REDEVELOPMENT

BHENDI BAZAAR:
The Masterbuilder | September 2014 | www.masterbuilder.co.in

Setting sail for Cluster Redevelopment

Sadagopan Seshadri
Chief - Content Development,
CE - Infrastructure - Environment

The genesis
'In the north-west of Dongri there exis-
ted a plantation of the spesia populnia or
bhendi which has given its name as Bhendi
Bazaar' used to be an irrigation tract in its
early days, which later got developed by
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the British to resettle communities affec-
ted by the great Mumbai fire that broke in
1803 at the British Fort area (as men-
tioned in the Maharashtra State Gazette);
Which eventually mushroomed into an
active business district of sorts.
Some say, the origin of the name is
that the British residing to the south of
Crawford Market in Fort, referred to this
area to the north of Crawford Market as
"Behind the Bazaar" which the natives
picked this as "Bhendi Bazaar"

Bhendi Bazaar: A palimpsest of Mumbai's
History
Bhendi Bazaar occupied an area bet-
ween Mohammed Ali Road and Khetwadi.
The closest Central and Harbour railway
station is Sandhurst Road, and the closest
Western railway stations are Charni Road
and Grant Road. The bazaar is popular for
shopping viz antique items, hardware
items.
There are other markets surrounding
Bhendi Bazaar such as Crawford Market
(Phule Market), Chor Bazaar, Nul Bazaar,
and other small markets. Bhendi Bazaar
is primarily a Muslim-populated area,
home to Muslims with origins in all parts
of India, especially Maharashtra, Gujarat,
and the Northern states. Shop-owners
and hawkers in this market belong to dif-
ferent religious groups.
Socio-economic Dynamics
Even during the global economic slow-
down that affected Indian market growth
in the last decade, this area having distinct
business dynamics, saw economic re-
forms such as diversification and new
business ventures while indulging in mini-
mal credit facilities.
This largely has been possible as over
50% of the 1250 commercial establish-
ments in the project area are owned by
Dawoodi Bohras one of the oldest mer-
cantile communities that first settled in
the city during the 18th century. Known for
their business acumen, Dawoodi Bohra
businesses in Bhendi Bazaar and else-
where have grown exponentially by bene-
fitting from the Qardan Hasana Trust, a
global financial institute established by
the community's spiritual leader His Holi-
Photo 1: The Bhendi Bazaar district, foreground, where the majority of the
community is made up of Dawoodi Bohra Muslims.
URBAN PLANNING: CLUSTER REDEVELOPMENT
IN A NUT SHELL
The sixteen-acre area known as Bhendi Bazaar currently suffers from the
stresses of a centuries-old infrastructure and bogged down by an equally aging
housing stock.
The streets perennially congested, the area pathetically lacking even basic
utilities such as sewage treatment and families putting up cramped tenements
with neither adequate ventilation nor light. New government regulations
concerning cluster development allow for a significantly increased Floor Space
Index (FSI). The Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust purchased a significant portion
of the Bazaar's crumbling buildings with the sole mission of delivering to the
community a completely redesigned area. (Photos 2,4,5 & 6)
The greatly enhanced scale of the new development therefore includes
improved housing for all of Bhendi Bazaar's current inhabitants, a sustainable
infrastructure, and several large buildingsthe sale and rental of which provide
the funds for this enormous undertaking. (Photo 1)
Also,under the new plan the Raudat Tahera mausoleum and Saifee Masjid, two
religiously significant buildings currently cut off from one another, have been
united in a central protected complex. (Photos 14 & 15)
The Saifee Burhani Upliftment Project provides current residents with a vastly
improved quality of life, unifying the mosque and mausoleum in a secure
complex and adding a significant source of revenue through its sale towers.
(Photos 16,17 & 18)
ness Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin. Raudat Tahera, the mausoleum of
The trust facilitates short and long-term Syedna Taher Saifuddin. (Photos 14 & 15)
interest-free credit disbursement, which Taking into consideration all these
in turn, helped in arresting larger effects socio-economic dynamics, mainstream
of recession, and facilitated capital inflow market players particularly from the ser-
in the area. vice and hospitality sectors along with
The area also houses Raudat Tahera, small manufacturers have put-up outlets
the mausoleum of the 51st Dai-al-Mutlaq in the area providing job opportunities and
of the Dawoodi Bohras, Syedna Taher alternate source of income to many a
Saifuddin and 52nd dai-al-Mutlaq syedna household in Bhendi Bazaar.
Mohammed Burhanuddin. This wit-
The Aberration: A Community's Life &
nesses considerable pilgrim tourism due
Livelihood at Stake!
to the religious and cultural centers situ-
Time has kept up the entrepreneur
The Masterbuilder | September 2014 | www.masterbuilder.co.in
ated in the area like the world renowned
Photo 2 : About four fifths of the 250 buildings in the area are dilapidated and
45
unfit for occupation
 URBAN PLANNING: CLUSTER REDEVELOPMENT
Photo 3: The narrow century-old streets of Bhendi Bazaar are lined with shops
selling a range of wares from car parts to clothes.
spirit of this community but has taken a
heavy toll on the buildings it dwells in and
operates its business. (See Photos 2, 4, 5
& 6)
On Tuesday, August 5, A portion of
Aysha building, including the staircase,
partially collapsed in Bhendi Bazar. The
building was declared as dangerous by
Mhada two years ago but three families
continued to stay in it at the time of the col-
lapse. The families have been moved to a
temporary accommodation. This mon-
soon it is the third building in Bhendi
Bazar that has collapsed.
A portion of Galabhai Chawl had
crashed , just a month back, around 11pm
on July 9 following heavy rain. The build-
ing was classified by the MHADA as dan-
gerous and unfit for living. Fortunately, all
the tenants had safely moved to transit
The Masterbuilder | September 2014 | www.masterbuilder.co.in
Photo 5: A total of 17 buildings have been demolished and their residents moved to transit accommodation
46
built by Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust while Bhendi Bazaar is being redeveloped.
Photo 4: Most buildings are at risk of collapse or outbreaks of fire.
accommodation three years back.
In the last three years, more than 170
people have died in at least 11 incidents of
building collapse.
At stake are 80% of buildings that suf-
fer from dangerous dilapidation and con-
stant repairs, compounded with critically
congested 150 year old arterial roads.
All this cumulatively pose serious risk
to human life and property. Dilapidated
buildings crashing, taking life toll has
been going on, which calls for urgent
redevelopment as best recourse for the
hapless dwellers.
Be it petty shopkeepers or value
added service providers depending on var-
ious businesses requiring spacious floor-
space all macro and micro market play-
ers have adversely been affected due to
continuously diminishing urban facilities
Entrepreneurial resilience 'Takes a Call'
in 2009 the Maharashtra state gov-
ernment decided to come up with the clus-
ter development policy. That gave The
Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (SBUT),
the Mumbai based Dawoodi Bohra
organisation the vehicle to implement
the project since till then there was no
mechanism to take up cluster redevelop-
ment. So as soon as this policy was an-
nounced SBUT seized the opportunity and
this Trust was formed immediately to
take up redevelopment of the 16.5 Acre
Bhendi Bazaar off the bustling Moham-
med Ali Road, three kilometres from the
scenic Victoria Terminus railway station.
The entire project with an estimated cost
of ` 4,000 crore, is being funded by SBUT.
The newly proposed Bhendi Bazaar
redevelopment project undertaken by
Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust ( SBUT)
will astonishingly have a 54.55% ground
coverage post redevelopment. The SBUT
proposal is interesting, because Bhendi
Bazaar with an overall 74% ground cover-
age, the present 66,264.74 Sq. m. area has
one of the highest population density in
South Mumbai.
The project, according to the widely used
economic theory, is constrained optimi-
zation which aims for reaching a set of best
solutions to a matrix of defined problems.
Based on its redevelopment idea SBUT de-
cided on engaging the 'best for job' experts:
- Mandviwala Qutub and Associates:
Master Planner and Architects
- PerkinsEastman:ConsultantArchitect
- KPMG, India : Internal Auditors
- Deloitte Haskins and Sells, India: Stat-
utory Auditors
- Systra MVA Consulting (India):Traffic
Consultants
 URBAN PLANNING: CLUSTER REDEVELOPMENT
Photo 6: About four fifths of Bhendi Bazaar's 250 buildings are considered dilapidated,
dangerous and planned for demolition
- Halcrow Consulting India: Structural
Consultants
- AECOM : MEP & Infra Consultants
- Knight Frank (India): Market Research
Consultants
- Noor Enterprises: Design and Build
ContractorforTransitAccommodation
The Client brief was:
The upliftment and urban planning of
the 16.5 acres of existing development.
The buildings had to be recasted, rede-
signed, remodelled and keeping the cul-
tural fabric of the place intact; to maintain
the religious structures as they were.
Therefore, going by The SBUT brief
unlike a normal developer's redevelop-
The Masterbuilder | September 2014 | www.masterbuilder.co.in
Photo 7:The ` 4000 crore Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment will bring down all the dilapidated
48
buildings & offer to families and businesses in modern skyscrapers with all facilities
ment project, this was an upliftment pro-
ject and as such about 75-80 percent of
the land is given back to original owners
on redevelopment with just 30 percent
being put up for sale.
The Master plan: concept & Design pro-
vide the where with all
- To create eight or nine pockets that
could take care of the density
- Addressing holistically wind direc-
tion, light and ventilation while orient-
ing each of deliverables
- To recast all the roads and workout
the infrastructure and the traffic move-
ment
- For integration: of the proposed roads
with the existing roads of the city; as
well as that of proper roads, infra-
structure, parking, sustainable
development, green development in
the overall context
- For the religious structures not only
to be retained in their original places
but also opened up on all sides so that
they could afford a better visual con-
nectivity
- Retain the commercial character of
the place and to continue with the fab-
ric and vibrancy of the existing Bhendi
Bazaar. So eateries, pedestrian walk-
ways, and pedestrian plazas created
to enhance the vibrancy of the place
The plan is thus to deliver one of the
best planned High Street shopping areas
offering maximum shopping potential.
This redeveloped Bhendi Bazaar could
then serve as an organized 16.5 acre of
high street shopping.
The international best practices has
been adopted for all aspects from the ori-
entation, maximum light, to green
spaces, maximum ventilation and utilisa-
tion of space, number of parking spaces,
fire fighting and safety devices, vertical
transportation, composition of materials,
right from the façade to cladding materi-
als is of international standards. No com-
promise has been allowed either on the
On the Architects, Planners &
Engineers lap fall the design
challenges related to:
- Research & Innovate : due to lack
of precedent to such a project;
- High density to be handled,
- Accommodating shopping
within minimum levels
- Each sub clusters to be complete
with its own parking and residen-
tial units fitting in as also cater-
ing enough room for light, venti-
lation and open areas for children.
- Create desired ambience, acco-
modate density without compro-
mising on space for natural light
and ventilation, the orientation
done in such a way that the
development is sustainable.
That is what all had to be brought into
the master plan.
 URBAN PLANNING: CLUSTER REDEVELOPMENT

infrastructure or technologies right from

STPs, solar panels, etc. as far as best prac-
tice & standards are concerned.
There could be various ways to view
this grandiose redevelopment or better
still to be rightly described as upliftment
endeavor, Some of these, I feel would nec-
essarily be the ones spelt out here, for its
post development success .
In purely economic perspective: A 300%
Growth!
From a purely economic perspective,
the non-profit redevelopment initiative in
the area would shift the perfectly inelastic
supply curve of commercial and residen-
tial land to the right. This would lead to an
increase in consumer surplus to the resi-
dents and additionally provide positive
Photo 8: The Commercial Transit Home at Noorbaug offered by the Saifee Burhani
Upliftment Trust till redevelopment is completed externalities to the surrounding areas
such as over 15 m wide internal periph-
eral roads for vehicular movement, sepa-
rate loading-unloading facilities for com-
mercial vehicles and 1,16,153.93 Sq m of
much needed parking facility in the area.
Currently, even in the absence of qual-
ity shopping area catering to needs of all
strata of society in the three kilometer
radius around the proposed Bhendi
Bazaar redevelopment site, an average
100,000 footfall are registered today.
As it seems to be the case, unlike the
present inequitable market scenario,
both complementary and substitute
goods' stakeholders in the neighborhood
are to be provided with shops strategically
facing the main roads!! Imagine the won-
ders it will do each one the establish-
ments from footfalls view point! Well, a
Photo 9: Residents of demolished buildings provided with transit accommodation, above, built by the SBUT, conservative approximation of a three-
till redevelopment is complete & Newly built houses are given. fold commerce and trade growth tends to The Masterbuilder | September 2014 | www.masterbuilder.co.in
be a reasonable prediction consequential
to a much broader customer base post-
redevelopment.
Pristine glory = Growth with cultural fla-
vor intact:
And by these unique plus points, the
economic evolution of Bhendi Bazaar from
a typical, unplanned bazaar can become a
logically laid maximum impact spread, as
Bhendi Bazaar will be having Mumbai's
longest high-street shopping area.
The best part of this, however, is that it
would, as wanted by SBUT (read 'the
existing BB community & businesses)
serve both purposes of retaining to their
traditional bazaar essence as well as pro-
49

Photo 10: Exterior View of Transit vide a contemporary business environ.

 URBAN PLANNING: CLUSTER REDEVELOPMENT
Photo 11: A view of Rooms
In essence, Bhendi Bazaar's parame-
ters of economic growth will continue to
largely be defined on the lines of the area's
rich cultural and evergreen social vibrancy.
The fact that all religious and cultural
architectural structures are to be retained,
is also complemented by, even all the busi-
nesses and residents too being relocated
back in the same locality. These excep-
tional factors would, without doubt, rein-
state the unique cultural flavor, and rein-
force Bhendi Bazaar's past business glory.
Subsequently, economic stimulus
will be in employment gains, leveraged in-
vestment, and revitalized neighborhoods
while fiscal impacts would include gener-
ating new sources of local revenue derived
from previously less productive estab-
lishments.
Viability Mantra
The Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment
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Project's execution viability hinges on a
well nourished blend of Cost Sustainability
ably backed by community Faith, trust &
50
Photo 12: Lobby of the Commercial Transit
Hope of Promising Livelihood, Culture pre-
servation & Better Quality of Life reposed
by it on the SBUT.
Having said all of this, I would like to
unequivocally bring out as to how & why
the execution of this venture has most
positives to make it successful.
Quality Consciousness:
Conscious of quality, SBUT chose
international tendering. It awarded the
project to Mumbai-based Mandviwala
Qutub and Associates as master planners
and architects and US-based Perkins
Eastman International as consulting
architect. The local Architect actually is
said to be absolutely conversant with the
area and can fully connect with its ground
realities. This ensures that he will make
no mistakes of missing out on those
aspects & factors that are vital to stake-
holders though not explicitly spelt out in
'client briefs'. Perkins Eastman Interna-
tional has vast experience and profes-
sionally sound.
Photo 13: Proposed shopping and streetscape layout
Cost Sustainability:
Money spent on cluster development
can be derived from commercial buildings.
It is not cost intensive as compared to
greenfield acquisition. Doing redevelop-
ment projects does not require the rigma-
role of acquisition, and procurement cost.
There is expert opinion, that this actu-
ally lets a 120% return in a redevelopment
project!
In the instant case, no land purchase
for the redevelopment; As much as 80 per
cent of the redeveloped property will be
given back to the original owners, the resi-
dents and the shopkeepers, while the rest
will be sold in the open market.
This meant. the formula, 'zero land cost
+ the 20% part's sale proceeds' enable
meeting total project burden, allowing the
redevelopmenttocomfortablysailthrough.
Faith & Culture:
The daily life of Bohras revolves around
Raudat Tahera, the mausoleum that stands
at the heart of Bhendi Bazaar. The entire
Quran is inscribed on its walls in gold. The
structure was built in the memory of the
52nd Dai's father, Syedna Taher Saifuddin,
who passed away in 1965.
Shaikh Abdeali Bhanpurawala, sec-
retary of SBUT, says that due to people's
faith in the Dai, it was easy to get the man-
datory consent of 70 per cent of the resi-
dents for redevelopment.
Come evening , the streets around
Raudat Tahera get busier, with people
coming to offer prayers before the marble
grave of the 51st Dai.
Hope of Promising Livelihood & Better
Quality of Life:
There is Hope of Promising Livelihood
& Better Quality of Life post redevelop-
ment, that is 4 years down the timeline,
they will be in a modern township.
 URBAN PLANNING: CLUSTER REDEVELOPMENT
Photo 14: Raudat Tahera Mausoleum , Bhendi Bazaar Mumbai
Photo 15: Saifee Masjid, Bhendi Bazaar, Mumbai
The Masterbuilder | September 2014 | www.masterbuilder.co.in
The redeveloped Bhendi Bazaar will
have 9 sub-clusters with 17 buildings, The
17 towers to come up will rise from south
to north to catch wind from the sea. The
tallest of the 17 towers will have about 65
floors. In an area bereft of any green cover,
SBUT plans to plant 500 trees. The main
roads will be 16-metre wide, with side-
walks and parking lots.
Each self-sustained cluster will have
rainwater harvesting and water recycling
facilities, sewage treatment plants and
solar panels.
All houses will have a minimum area
of 350 sq ft. Many houses now are just 100
sq ft. "Initially, we were planning to provide
a minimum 320 sq ft area, but when we
52
took the project to the Syedna, he insisted
that it should be at least 350," says SBUT
CEO Abbas Master, a civil engineer and a
former Wockhardt executive. He says the
project is planned to improve the living
conditions of the entire population in the
earmarked area, not just the Bohras.
A broad observation that reinforces
this hope is that more than 1,200 families
have been rehabilitated in transit colonies
such as the Saifee Burhani Park with 750
rooms in nearby Anjeerwadi. The Transit
homes are fully equipped with all facili-
ties. (See photos 8 to 12)
More than 87 per cent of the buildings
have been acquired and are being demol-
ished and the occupants have been
shifted to residential/commercial transit
facilities, created near the project site.
Opinions
Opinions may differ as to ways the re-
development takes place but one indis-
putable fact that cannot be brushed away
is the urgent need to bring the dilapidated
century old buildings of Bhendi Bazaar and
to rehab dwellers, to arrest further life
risk & loss.
Once these basics are addressed, the
aspects of concern less serious than death,
like social fabric, ambience, cultural dis-
placement and likes of these can be taken
up intellectually! Having voiced my con-
cern for 'value of life', I cite, the various
opinions on the other concerns of this
redevelopment.
On the project's impact on affecting ad-
versely the social fabric:
"Residents in the area have bonded
for decades. Most of them live and work in
the same area. That lifestyle will see a big
change," opines Mustansir Dalvi, a pro-
fessor of architecture at Sir JJ College in
nearby Dhobi Talao. Opening up the area
to commercial development would lead
to gentrification since high prices of land
would attract only the well-heeled, he says.
"By going in for cluster development, the
government is ignoring other alternatives.
Photo 16: Bhendi Bazaar New Look
- View from from JJ
 URBAN PLANNING: CLUSTER REDEVELOPMENT
Photo 17: Bhendi Bazaar New Skyline
Old and precarious buildings could have
been brought down individually," he says.
It should not be overlooked that The
SBUT design brief has ensured in enough
ways to fully maintain status quo with
respect cultural, societal as well as archi-
tectural integrity. And this is a giant step
by all means, more so because as brought
here-in SBUT has also sought for an novel
viability mode, that works for businesses
as well as dwellers.
Top Mumbai-based developer & MD
of Hiranandani Constructions Niranjan
Hiranandan's comment here that
'Any redevelopment in the area, where
buildings often collapse, is welcome', and
"There was much opposition to Singa-
The Masterbuilder | September 2014 | www.masterbuilder.co.in
54
Photo 18: Bird's Eye View
pore's redevelopment, but I don't think any-
one is complaining now," speaks volumes.
Truly, If due diligence is done then
redevelopment, where needed is socially
fruitful and a wise business to be taken up
in right earnest.
TheNostalgia-Whatonlyafewmightknow!
Mumbai's only classical music gharana,
the Bhendi Bazaar gharana (as the name
suggests) originated here. Founded in the
19th century by brothers, Chhajju Khan,
Nazir Khan and Khadim Hussain Khan, this
gharana quickly became very popular.
Yes, what only a few might know is: It
is said, Shubha Mudgal, Lata Man-
geshkar and Asha Bhonsle are some of its
well-known exponents.
The word goes on here, even on a reel
of names of Bollywood stalwarts Kaifi
Azmi, Saadat Hasan Manto, Sahir
Ludhianvi, and Janisar Akhtar who it is
said were Bohri Mohalla dwellers at some
point in their lives.
How many of the multitude, who zoom
over the flyover day in and day out, are or
ever have been aware of these aspects of
the rich history of ' Bhendi Bazaar ?! w
Image Courtesy:
1 - 9 Subhash Sharma for The National
Author's Bio
The author leads our Delhi bureau. An
Engineer and qualified ADR profes-
sional (NALSAR alumnus), Sadagopan
Seshadri has been a senior Contract
Management Professional in large
national & International Companies.
His domain experience is in Building
Products, Cement plants and Mega
Power project execution. He has been
an expert visiting faculty and univ. exam-
iner for Contract Management at the
SSAA, IP University, New Delhi.
Being passionate about Environment he
has now turned to Landscape Projects
design teamed with like-minded archi-
tects & engineers for sustainable land-
scapes development He is vocal with his
viewsontheseareasthroughhis writings.
He can be reached at:
design2xcel@gmail.com