Will be completed with the help of Shiv Shahi Punarvasan
Mumbai : The Maharshtra Housing department has decided to give a fresh lease of life to the abandoned slum rehabilitated project with the help of Shiv Shah Punarvasan Pradhikaran (SSPP). The SSPP is designed to promote affordable housing in Mumbai and its suburbs.
This was, incidentally, a pet project of the late Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray. He had also given his blessings to the Slum Rehabilitation Project and the then Shiv Sena government had even formed a Slum Rehabilitation Authority.
When the scheme was announced, many developers came forward with offers to redevelop city slums, especially in South Mumbai, as it was gold mine for them. The government also tempted them with lucrative incentives in the form of extra Floor Space Index, so that they
redevelop the slums and give houses to slum dwellers free of cost.
[alert type=”e.g. warning, danger, success, info” title=””] In last two decades, only 24% of the projects have been completed; Out of the total 2,395 projects that were approved since the body was set up, only 597 schemes have been executed so far, with 1.53 lakh slum dwellers rehabilitated[/alert]
After some years the scheme hot bogged down in various hurdles. Officials said many errant builders, despite getting the mandatory 70% consent from slum-dwellers and the SRA, did not begin work on the project for decades. Many of these are small-time builders or brokers, who sell the project to bigger builders. Moreover, infighting among slum-dwellers delayed execution of the scheme. The consent clause, in particular, was always at the heart of controversy with slum-dwellers alleging that their signatures were fudged by builders. Many projects were stranded due to rivalry between two builders, failure to secure environment clearances and litigation. Some developers could not realize any profit in the project and later abandoned it.
The government has decided to hand over all these stranded projects to the SSPP Project for completion. According to sources, in first phase about 240 projects will be handed over to the SSPP.
Housing Minister Prakash Mehta said that the government has taken a decision to hand over these projects to the Shiv Shahi Punarvasan Pradhikaran. Recently the government also directed SRA to transfer Rs 500 crores to the Shiv Shahi Punrvasant.
“We have to speed up the SRA scheme and the government has revived the SSPP. Apart from this, the SSPP also has its own project to redevelop and they will carry on work as usual,” said Mehta.
“The government will ask the developer if he is willing to redevelop the project and then tie him down with a time bound program. If he has financial problems, then it will allow him to tie up with the SSPP to complete the project in the stipulated period,” Mehta said.
In last two decades, only 24% of the projects have been completed; of the total 2,395 projects that were approved since the body was set up, only 597 schemes have been executed so far, with 1.53 lakh slum dwellers rehabilitated. The SRA projects aim to give bigger and better homes to slum-dwellers, free of cost.
Pandurang Mhaske
