CM changes stand on slum policy

In a complete turnaround in the slum policy in the backdrop of municipal elections, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has assured to rehabilitate the slums which have come up till December 2000.

The assurance to this effect was given by the CM to a delegation of Congress MPs and MLAs from the city.

The delegation led by Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) president and MP Gurudas Kamat met Deshmukh at his official residence and demanded that all slums which have come up till 2000 should be regularised.

Replying to their demand, he said, "If we have to regularise slums till 2000, then law needs to be amended. But as a special case, all those slums which have come up till 2000 and need to be removed for public amenity or infrastructure project will be rehabilitated."

It is considered to be a major change in Deshmukh's stand who has so far opposed regularisation of slums which have come up after 1995, despite an assurance to this effect in the party's manifesto.

It is believed in the political circles that Deshmukh who had resisted all the pressures from party to extend the deadline for regularising slums, finally gave in as municipal elections are just around the corner.