Housing policy to focus on slum-free Mumbai

MUMBAI: The state government’s proposed housing policy will focus on achieving ‘slum-free Mumbai and Maharashtra’ by 2022. In the last 20 years, only 10% slums have been redeveloped. Experts, however, suggested that free housing should be stopped and the government should go for low-cost or rental housing.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, during the budget session, assured that the state government would come up with the comprehensive housing policy in May.The draft policy is ready. Officials said that a few changes may be made in the policy after suggestions from MLAs and MLCs.
The draft policy states that the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) will undertake a complete survey of all slums within the Mumbai limit, including the number of slumdwellers eligible for rehabilitation as per the cut-off date of January 1, 2001, and number of non-eligible slumdwellers, tenement density and preliminary feasibility for redevelopment of each slum. The SRA will engage private surveyors to complete the entire task in six months after the policy is put in place.
The SRA may appoint private architects or town planners through a competitive bidding process and the process will be completed within six months. After completing this process, SRA will urge slumdwellers to appoint a developer. If they fail to do so in a year, SRA will provide viability gap funding to the extent of 40% of the cost of the project to ensure redevelopment. In all cases where SRA bids out the slum, no individual consent of the slum dwellers will be required, the draft policy states.
In case of land owned by the central government, the SRA will coordinate with the department concerned in the Centre to get the slum redeveloped as soon as possible. The development control rules will be amended to clear the redevelopment project.
Experts, however, suggested that the government should not give free homes to slum dwellers. “Basically, the SRA policy is faulty. There were no studies conducted in this regard in the last 20 years. The loopholes in the SRA should be plugged. Low-cost or rental housing should be provided instead of free homes,” said Leena Prabhoo, chairperson of Forum for Improving Quality of Life in Mumbai Suburbs. She also said while redeveloping slums, the SRA should consider safeguarding open space.
Ravindra Waikar, minister for state for housing said they would take suggestions from all MLAs to make the policy. “We will consider all aspects before finalizing the policy. It will take some time to make it comprehensive,” said Waikar.