AAP picks housing woes as poll plank

“In the rest of Maharashtra, especially in the rural belts, we will raise issues of quality, quantity and tariff of electricity and water supply. For Mumbai, our primary focus would be on presenting an alternative to the haphazard incremental growth model in the city by framing an integrated housing and urban planning policy,” Gandhi said.

The AAP’s draft manifesto looks at constructing affordable houses on the huge tracts of land owned by MMRDA, MHADA, port trust, BEST and the municipal corporation, which are either encroached upon or not utilized to its optimal potential.

Killawala said land and funds, which are necessary for providing housing, are available in abundance with most government agencies. “In Singapore, 85 per cent of the houses, from low-cost to hi-end, are developed by the housing board. With 60 per cent of Mumbai’s population living in slums, private builders currently cater to only about seven per cent of the housing needs. There is so much potential for a pro-active government role in providing affordable housing and giving a tough competition to builders,” Killawala said.

He said the policy would at housing in consonance with facilities for health, education, markets, open spaces, mass public transport and pedestrianization. He said his party party was not in favour of free housing, as is the case with slum rehabilitation schemes for the benefit of developers, but believes providing alternatives in the form of rental housing stock.

Medha kicks off her campaign

Medha Patkar, AAP’s candidate for Mumbai North-East Lok Sabha seat, Monday kicked off her campaign with a rally that started from Lokhande Marg in the slum sprawl of Govandi.

“The city generates the highest revenue for the union government but those in slums still struggle for basic facilities like water,” she said.

Patkar is contesting against NCP’s sitting MP Sanjay Patil, other probables being BJP’s Kirit Somaiya and MNS’s Shivajirao Nalwade. “Since 60 per cent population here lives in the slums, we have submitted a plan to the government to provide one lakh houses. However, it has done nothing so far,” she said.

As the rally proceeded through predominantly Muslims belts, Medha attacked BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for his alleged involvement in the 2002 riots.

She also attacked NCP chief Sharad Pawar for his alleged role in the irregularities in Lavasa project and MNS chief Raj Thackeray for his party’s violent ways.

“Today is the start of the campaign in this area. We will also be doing door-to-door campaign like in Delhi,” said Patkar, who halted at Lotus Colony, from where she started her social work.