30.7.14

Slumbay

Nearly a decade after promising to extend the slum regularization cut-off date from January 1, 1995, to January 1, 2000, the Congress-led Democratic Front government finally kept its word on Tuesday.
The state government issued a government resolution extending the cutoff date as well as announcing rules for transfer of a slum structure. The promise was first made by the Congress in its 2004 election manifesto and reiterated in 2009.Bhagwanji Raiyani, convenor, Janhit Manch, said the government resolution is illegal and cannot be implemented as the matter is pending before the Supreme Court in a special leave petition.
“The government is misleading the people. It has challenged the January 1, 1995, cutoff date in a special leave petition and so has the BMC, as it wanted to extend the deadline whereas activist Medha Patkar has challenged any kind of cutoff date for the slums. Besides, the Vilasrao Deshmukh-led government had filed an affidavit in the HC saying it will not extend the cut-off date,“ said Raiyani, adding that he would challenge the gazette notification, whenever it is published.
Those who have been residing in slums constructed prior to January 1, 2000, will now have to submit proofs of residence to regularize the structures. Similarly those who have purchased structures constructed before 2000 will have to apply for a transfer. Under the 1995 regularization policy, occupants who had purchased the structures were not eligible for free housing. But now, with the transfer policy, they, too, will be eligible.
In Mumbai, the eligibility criteria will be decided on the basis of identity cards that were issued to slumdwellers by the BMC in 2001.

No comments: