Bhayandar: The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has finally decided to act tough against beneficiaries who have brazenly defaulted in paying rent and maintenance towards allotment of transit accommodation under the Rental Housing Scheme (RHS). Stung by the cold shoulder response to notices, the civic administration has sought the help of the police to evict as many as 125 defaulters. To facilitate transit accommodation for people who are rendered homeless after being evicted from dilapidated structures, the civic administration had implemented the RHS on the virtue of units made available by private construction companies to the MBMC under the various incentive-linked housing development schemes mooted by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
Out of the 1,182 acquired by the MBMC, 600 have been allotted to Basic Service to Urban Poor (BSUP) beneficiaries and displaced beneficiaries. As per the disbursement norms set by the general body in 2014, beneficiaries have t0 pay monthly rent of Rs 3,000 for which a three year lease deed will be executed which can be extended for another two years. This apart from monthly maintenance amounting Rs 300. “Apart from action against BSUP who have illegally sublet the municipal property, we will soon evict the defaulting beneficiaries. Police protection has been sought for the eviction exercise,” confirmed executive engineer Deepak Khambit. In another startling revelation, several BSUP beneficiaries have not only rented out their homes to earn an extra buck, some have reportedly sold them off. This despite clear rules which disallow beneficiaries from selling or renting out their homes.
