Maharashtra clears housing scheme for poor

MUMBAI, SEPT 15: Despite strong opposition from top bureaucrats, the Maharashtra Cabinet today approved the multicrore Shivshahi Punarvas...

MUMBAI, SEPT 15: Despite strong opposition from top bureaucrats, the Maharashtra Cabinet today approved the multicrore Shivshahi Punarvasan Prakalp to provide free houses to two lakh slumdwellers in the metropolis before the year 2000. The plan was however, cleared with a crucial alteration as now only the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority MHADA land will be used for the scheme. Earlier, the proposal was to acquire 62 hectares of Revenue land.

On their part, senior bureaucrats dubbed it as the most ill-advised decision taken by the alliance government so far.

However, a visibly pleased Chief Minister Manohar Joshi told mediapersons after the meeting: 8220;The Cabinet unanimously approved the project and the Shivshahi Punarvasan Prakalp Limited will be fully a state-run corporation.8221;

Joshi said in the first phase, the company will construct 50,000 houses in Mumbai on 11.50 hectors of land owned by the MHADA in suburbs of Mumbai. The Housing department modified the proposal and decidedto use only MHADA land after Revenue Minister Narayan Rane took strong objection, saying, it will not be possible to divert reserved Revenue land for the mass housing project.

It was also decided that the MHADA and the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority MMRDA would provide interest free loan of Rs 300 crore each before December 31 this year and the funds will be utilised by the SSPPL,8221; Joshi said.

He said the memorandum of association and the articles of association of the company were also approved by the cabinet. He said the cabinet also decided to give guarantee to financiers willing to invest in the SSPPL from next year.

Out of the 50,000 houses, 25,000 will be part of the Slum Redevelopment Authority SRA scheme while the remaining will be of the housing societies already formed by the slum-dwellers and approved by the Slum Improvement Authority. Distribution of the free houses will be done after thorough scrutiny and the slums will be vacated properly, Joshi added.

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The chiefminister said that Housing minister Suresh Jain will be the chairman of the company while minister of state for Housing, Raj Purohit, will be the vice-chairman. Explaining the structure of the board of directors of the company, Joshi said that principal secretaries of Finance, Urban Development and Housing departments, vice-chairman of MHADA, commissioner of MMRDA, chairman of HUDCO, chief executive officers of SRA as well as Housing and Special Assistance, will be the directors of the company.

Joshi added that the plots admeasuring 11.50 hectares owned by MHADA at places like Trombay, Shimpoli, Oshivara and Dindoshi was not reserved for any specific purpose and will be utilised by the SSPPL. He said the plots vacated by removing the slums after providing houses to the slum-dwellers, will be used to construct houses to be sold in the open market or will be used for some other commercial purposes to generate revenue.

Joshi said it was responsibility of the Railway authorities to provide houses toslum-dwellers staying along the railway tracks and to rehabilitate them. 8220;We are willing to extend support to them in their efforts,8221; added Joshi.