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Slum Development
The Maharashtra Assembly passed a bill amending the Slum Area (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971, on Wednesday, which allows the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) to recover pending transit rent dues from builders or developers. The amendment bill seeks to treat unpaid rent to slum dwellers as arrears of land revenue, thereby empowering the SRA to initiate recovery proceedings under the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code (MLRC). As per the proposed amendment, if a defaulting builder lacks sufficient company assets to clear the dues, the liability can extend to the personal property of its directors or partners. Currently, the SRA can issue stop-work notices or deny new permissions to a defaulting developer. The bill also seeks to reduce the window for dissenting slum dwellers to join the SRA schemes - from 120 days to 60 days - once a majority (over 50 per cent) has consented to a redevelopment plan. After 60 days, those who do not join the scheme risk losing their .
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said the Delhi government is considering studying Mumbai's Dharavi model for slum redevelopment in the national capital. Gupta also claimed that some people were spreading misinformation regarding the demolition of slum clusters in Delhi. "If you construct a house near a railway line, the chief minister will not save you. I urge people to think about safety and security. If a railway accident happens or someone dies on the railway track, who will be responsible?" she said. Gupta asserted that demolishing houses was not her government's aim. "But it should not happen that we keep on giving homes and people do not vacate slums," she added. The chief minister said her government is likely to study Mumbai's Dharavi model for the redevelopment of 675 slum clusters in the national capital. The redevelopment of Dharavi, a vast slum sprawl in the heart of Mumbai, will be carried out through a special purpose vehicle set up through a joint venture betwe
Maharashtra cabinet on Monday approved the utilisation of 255 acres of salt pan land in Mumbai to develop houses for slum rehabilitation project-hit people, assigning the implementation responsibility to Adani group's Dharavi Slum Redevelopment Project. The state government had written to the Centre to transfer the salt pan land in Mumbai on lease. The salt pan land utilisation decision also covers the beneficiaries of affordable housing and similar schemes. The Adani group-controlled Dharavi Redevelopment Project will be responsible for implementing this decision (to develop houses for slum rehabilitation project-affected people), the government stated after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde chaired the cabinet meeting. The 255.9 acres of salt pan land to be acquired include 120.5 acres in mauje Kanjur, 76.9 acres in Kanjur and Bhandup and 58.5 acres in mauje Mulund. According to the government, the additional chief secretary of the state housing department is designated to sign an ..
The Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL), the firm redeveloping Asia's largest slums, on Thursday performed the groundbreaking ceremony (Bhoomi Poojan) of the Dharavi redevelopment project at the RPF grounds in Matunga. The pooja, conducted in an area called Sector 6, marks the auspicious beginning of the construction of Railway's staff quarters and offices to be handed over to the government, as mandated in the Dharavi Redevelopment tender documents, sources said. Already, the state government-led door-to-door survey to determine eligible and ineligible residents is on with an idea to speed up the redevelopment and to ensure inclusive development. The DRPPL, which is a joint venture between the state government and the Adani Group, has also moved in the direction envisaged by the Maharashtra government, which is on a mission to make Mumbai a slum-free city by 2030. Mapping of the roughly 600 acres of densely populated Dharavi is crucial for the redevelopment that is likel
Several non-government organisations working in Dharavi have pledged their support to the ongoing state government-led survey of informal tenants in Asia's biggest slum and accused non-locals of trying to stall redevelopment by spreading misinformation, according to letters they wrote to state government authorities. The NGOs have written to Dharavi Redevelopment Project/Slum Rehabilitation Authority (DRP/SRA), a government of Maharashtra body overseeing the USD 3-billion redevelopment project being executed by the Adani group, extending support for the survey. A total of eight NGOs and citizen welfare associations involved in diversified welfare activities ranging from health, education, women empowerment amongst others, met with DRPPL CEO and extended support of Dharavikars to the state-government-led survey currently being conducted in the area. While extending support to the survey, Noor Mohammed Khan of Global Giving Foundation and All India Police Jan Seva Sangathna asked the
The Bombay High Court on Friday said the vision should be to make Mumbai a slum-free city and raised concerns about the plight of slum dwellers who become "victims at the hands of private developers". A division bench of Justices G S Kulkarni and Somasekhar Sunderesan emphasised the need for strict and robust implementation of the Maharashtra Slum Area (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act. "Vision is to have Mumbai, which is considered an international city and the financial capital of our country, slum-free. We need to have an absolutely slum-free city. This Act will help that vision," the court said. The bench said the implementation of provisions of the Act lies with the government as the mandate lies with them. The bench was set up last week to undertake a "performance audit" of the Act pursuant to the Supreme Court's directives in July. The apex court had raised concerns about the working of the Act. The high court, on Friday, stressed the need for sustainable ...
In a shot in the arm for redevelopment of Asia's biggest slum, a newly formed association of residents of Dharavi and its vicinity has lent its support to ongoing state government-led survey of informal tenements, a precursor to the USD 3-billion project by the Adani group that promises to transform lives of an estimated one million residents. "We request the survey be conducted at the earliest possible time to ensure that the redevelopment can move forward without further delays," Citizen and Society Development Welfare body of Dharavi residents wrote to SVR Srinivas, CEO Dharavi Redevelopment Project/Slum Rehabilitation Authority (DRP/SRA), of government of Maharashtra, on July 30. Representatives of Citizen and Society Development Welfare, who have given the slogan of Dharavi Banao Andolan, met Srinivas and submitted a memorandum seeking expedition of the survey being conducted in Dharavi. The survey, which began on March 18, 2024, has so far completed 10,000 tenements via door t
Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and the AAP government traded charges on Saturday over the city's civic issues as he shared on social media pictures highlighting cleanliness issues in the slum clusters of Tehkhand and Okhla. Posting pictures captured during his Friday visit to Golkuan in Tehkhand and Sanjay Colony in Okhla, both slum areas in southeast Delhi, Saxena requested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to take cognisance of it. In its reaction to Saxena's posts and pictures on X, the Kejriwal government alleged in a statement that three lakh slum-dwellers in Delhi have become homeless due to LG's decisions and directions. The LG office sent out a strongly-worded reply, saying, "This is typical and blatant lie being peddled, supposedly by Delhi government." "Not a single Jhuggi has been removed at LG's directions. In fact, on many occasions, the last being at Majnu ka Tila, demolitions were stopped due to LG's intervention," a Raj Niwas official said. The LG has made four
The new tender issued in 2022 for the Dharavi slum redevelopment project in Mumbai was transparent and no undue favour was shown to the highest bidder Adani Group, the Maharashtra government has submitted to the Bombay High Court. The government earlier this month submitted its affidavit in response to a petition filed by the UAE-based company Seclink Technologies Corporation, challenging the government's decision awarding the project to Adani Properties Private Ltd. "The petitioner has made unfounded and reckless allegations such as actions of respondents being politically motivated without any basis or material as indeed none exists. For making such reckless allegations alone, the writ petition deserves to be dismissed with costs," the affidavit said. A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor will hear the plea on Thursday. The affidavit filed by the deputy secretary of the state housing department said the petitioner company has made "false and ...
Slum dwellers will now be part of the consultations held to explore ways to improve the living conditions of people living in these settlements in Delhi, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said on Saturday. Sisodia said this while participating in a programme 'National Consultation on Community Led Management of Bastis in Delhi' held by the DUSIB. He assured people that the government will investigate the demands raised by them. The consultation held by Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) and supported by Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS) was aimed towards formation of a slum/basti level committee and help slums uplift. "The slum dwellers will now contribute and be consulted for the development and maintenance of the community, Sisodia said, assuring suggestions of experts will be looked into by the Delhi government. The Section 13 of the DUSIB Act provides for the formation of a Basti Vikas Samiti. The provision calls for partnership of the government with jhuggi dwelle