Maharashtra regularises 4 lakh illegal slums in state

Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra has already gone into the election mode. In a serious bid to woe slum dwellers, the traditional vote bank, the government will bring in bill on Friday with a proposal to regularize nearly 400,000 illegal slums in Mumbai and rest of Maharashtra.

With the proposed bill, the government proposes to extend the earlier cut off date of 1995 to 2000. The decision to move bill was taken after consulting the advocate general. Congress and NCP had announced similar move ahead of 2004 and 2009 general elections but failed to implement it citing legal issues.

The government therefore now has preferred a legislation route ahead of announcement of code of conduct for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. The  state cabinet at its meeting held on late Wednesday evening decided to extend the cut-off date to regularize the slums in view of a burgeoning pressure especially from the elected representatives.

Both the Congress and NCP hope that the move to regularize slums up to 2000 will help retain its supremacy in Greater Mumbai during coming general elections. In 2009 polls, Congress had won five seats while one by NCP defeating Shiv Sena, BJP and MNS candidates.

Of the 400,000 illegal slums, nearly 3,25,000 are situated in Mumbai and the balance in the rest of Maharashtra. Due to the government's move to regularize these slums, these slums will be entitled for redevelopment and they will get the benefit under the slum rehabilitation scheme. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told Business Standard, ''The government's move is in line with its decision to make Mumbai slum free.  We will table a bill in the state legislature on Friday.''

The minister of state for housing and slum rehabilitation Sachin Ahir said that the Congress $@$# NCP government is fulfilling its promise given earlier.

''The slum dwellers will be benefited due to redevelopment,'' he opined. The Congress party in its manifesto in 2004, had promised to regularize slums up to January 1, 2000. However, the party later clarified that it was a “printing mistake”.

Further, the Bombay High Court had also refused to extend the cut-off date for regularizing slums from January 1, 1995 to January 1, 2000. The state government approached the Supreme Court against the HC verdict.