Maharashtra unit of Congress today hit out at NCP for criticising Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan for the "high cost" of MHADA flats and "slow pace" of MMRDA projects, saying that a wrong message was sent to the people.
Addressing a press conference here, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) spokesman Sachin Sawant said, "Chavan has not just shown a trailer by flagging off the safety trials of Metro project, but also given the date of exhibition by declaring the metro would be available for Mumbaikars from September."
He said that some MMRDA projects had got delayed for different reasons. "But due to the Chief Minister's intervention, everything is on track," he said, adding that the Centre has also sanctioned viability gap funding of Rs 1,920 crore for the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project (MTHL).
Speaking about the criticism of high cost of MHADA (Maharashtra Area and Housing Development Authority) flats, Sawant said the rates were much less than the market cost.
Construction cost has gone up and MHADA has to take up the redevelopment work and create a land bank, for which funds are required, he said.
"Chief Minister is sensitive to the needs of the common man. Congress has full faith in the Chief Minister," the Congress leader said.
NCP spokesman Nawab Malik had alleged that the MHADA was competing with private builders in the housing sector and charging exorbitant prices for its tenements by forgetting its objective of providing affordable housing.
According to him, non-official appointments have not been made on the MHADA board for the last ten years, because of which officials were having a free hand there.
The government should direct MHADA to lower the prices of its flats under section 164 of the MHADA Act, he had said.
Taking a dig at Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan flagging off the safety trial run of Metro railway, Malik had said people of Mumbai are not interested in such "trailers."
"They (people of Mumbai) want to know when Mono and Metro railway will be available for actual usage of Mumbaikars," he said.
