Social activist Medha Patkar today said the country needs basic facilities for ordinary people, and not Smart Cities.
Addressing a press conference here before attending 'Niwara Parishad' for the homeless urban poor, Patkar said, "What is the use of Smart City if people are being displaced?"
Improper planning has led to people from other parts of the state including Vidarbha and Marathwada coming to Mumbai and its surrounding areas seeking livelihood, she said.
The veteran activist also said that the cluster development scheme of the Maharashtra government -- where a group of old buildings can seek permission for collective redevelopment with additional FSI -- is aimed at benefiting only builders and land mafia.
The Congress government at least gave a hearing to activists who spoke out about the issues of urban poor, but the present BJP-led government pays no heed at all, she alleged.
Patkar said she would be a part of every agitation launched in Thane for the people displaced because of government projects or demolition drives.
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