Govt accepts terms,Medha ends fast

Social activist Medha Patkar broke her nine-day old fast on Saturday after the state government accepted some of her key demands.

Social activist Medha Patkar broke her nine-day old fast on Saturday after the state government accepted some of her key demands. Patkar and several activists had been on a hunger strike since May 20 at the Golibar slum in Khar East to protest against the eviction of slum dwellers from a 140-acre plot alloted to private developer Shivalik Ventures. Patkar has been alleging that the consent of all slum dwellers was not procured and that many signatures were forced.

Medha Patkar broke her fast at 1.45 pm after five of our demands were accepted by the state government, said Mukta Srivastava,a member of National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM). In a press release the NAPM said 19 bastis would be declared as slums and regularised within three months under the Slum Rehabilitation Act.

A committee would be formed to discuss how the Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojna,which promises housing for the poor,can be implemented in Mumbai. A meeting chaired by the chief secretary will be convened along with the NAPM members,central and state officials on June 10, said a NAPM press release.

According to the NAPM statement,the misuse of the 3 K clause of the Slum Rehabilitation Act will be probed by a five-member committee. Specifically,the case of Ganesh Krupa Society by Shivalik Ventures at Golibar (Khar east) would be looked into and a report would be submitted by June 15. Another committee will be probing the irregularities of 15 such societies where the 3 K clause has allegedly been misused. This report would be submitted in four months,the release stated.

Also,the NAPM said the government promised to activate the existing high powered committee,chaired by the Chief Secretary,which was constituted by the High Court in 2005 to look into policies of the state government.

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