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Journalism of Courage
State objects to tenements beyond 1995 deadline; BMC says will go to SC for extension till 2000
On the backburner for over a decade and unanimously termed the solution to the city8217;s annualnbsp;deluge misery during the monsoon, the crucial Brihanmumbai Storm Water Drain BRIMSTOWAD projectnbsp;is likely to be delayed further. Reason: squabble between the state government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC over the cut-off date for rehabilitation of the Project-Affected People PAPs.
The civic administration is already struggling with rehabilitation of the existing 26,000 hutments which will be affected due to various projects. Work on several nullahs 8212; for widening, deepening and constructing a compound wall8212; is yet to begin due to lack of housing provisions. And the state8217;s objection can only lead to further delay.
This year, the BMC rehabilitated encroachers on the Irla nullah whose slums had come up on both sides of nullah since 1995. When contacted, municipal commissioner Jairaj Phatak said the BMC has given a clarification to the letter. 8220;We have provided the tenements to the PAPs whose slums had come up between 1995-2000, on a condition that if the deadline is not extended till 2000 then they will have to empty the houses,8221; he said.
Phatak said there was a general demand for the extension of the deadline till 2000 from the elected representatives and the state government might also extend it. 8220;If that doesn8217;t happen then we will approach the Supreme Court for the extension of the deadline from 1995 to 2000,8221; he said.
However, the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena in the BMC seems to have lost hope for the completion of the project on time. 8220;The state government has been discriminating for the rehabilitation of the PAPs. Why have two policies for MUTP and BMCs projects?8221; asked Bhalchandra Shirsat, BJP leader in BMC. 8220;BRIMSTOWAD has been the most unfortunate project. It is already dodged by delays and if the state government does not extend the deadline then the project will fail to get completed. It8217;s election year and no slums will be demolished now.8221;
The BRIMSTOWAD project, first recommended in the year 1992-93, could not be undertaken by the then cash-strapped BMC. 10 years later, close on the heels of the 2005 deluge, the project was brought on track and the Central government agreed to fund it for Rs 1,200 crore. About 19 works costing Rs 356 crore have been undertaken under first phase which is to be completed by the year-end. Another 39 works worth Rs 844 crore have been proposed in the second phase of the project which is to be completed by 2011.
The civic body is also seeking funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission JNNURM under the Basic Services of Urban Poor BSUP 8211; a sub-mission of JNNURM for tenements for the PAPs. The project for around 16,000 tenements will cost Rs 506 crore with each tenement costing about Rs 3 lakh. The project is awaiting final clearance from the state government.
