Association threatens to stall Metro ceremony on Oct 11

The Railway Zopadpatti Punarvasan Samiti, an association of displaced, homeless and project affected people (PAPs) of metro, monorail projects here today threatened to stall the foundation laying ceremony of two metro lines on October 11 by PM Narendra Modi if the Maharashtra government does not facilitate immediate possession of flats alloted to them.
The Samiti claims that despite being eligible under the rehabilitation norms and having been given possession letters, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and Maharashtra government has failed to provide them with the actual possession since last five to seven years.
The association, which has held a series of protests across the city demanding immediate possession of homes, said that if their demands are not met, then they would disrupt the foundation laying ceremony.

Samiti President and Samajwadi Party leader Changdev Wankhede said we have asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to look into the matter immediately as he is the chairman of MMRDA.
"He (Fadnavis) must ask MMRDA officials to allot flats to us immediately, otherwise we would obstruct the laying off ceremony on October 11," he said.
Also, in the coming days thousands of homeless persons across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai have decided to come down on the Express Highway and would stop the operations of traffic on road along with Central Railway, Western Railway and Metro rail as well, Wankhede said in a statement.

Modi, during his Mumbai visit, on October 11, will lay the foundation stone of two important elevated Metro corridors - Dahisar-D N Nagar and Dahisar-Andheri (east) route in a ceremony at BKC.

"If Fadnavis immediately takes corrective measures then we would call off our protest and rather extend our support," added Wankhede.
Earlier, in a press conference last month Samiti had said that at least 561 hutments in various areas including Ghatkopar and Andheri, had been removed for these projects and flats for their rehabilitation have been constructed at Nahur.
Hundreds of PAPs were issued provisional allotment letters by the MMRDA in 2007-08, but not the keys so far, Wankhede had alleged.

Wankhede also claimed to have got the support of smaller political parties such as Lok Jan Shakti Party, Thane unit of Bhartiya Republican Party and Samajwadi Party as well.
SP spokesperson Abdul Kadir Chaudhari said, "our party has supported the cause of Wankhede, as he is fighting for the poor and helpless.