Current dwellers of pre-1995 slums eligible for rehabilitation: Govt

In a major relief to tens of thousands of slum-dwellers residing in hutments prior to 1995, the state government , in its bid to woo voters ahead of the  civic polls, on Monday decided to make the current residents eligible for rehabilitation under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority schemes.

The decision will help 6 lakh slum-dwellers safeguarding their right of rehabilitation even though they have moved in after the cut-off date. The state cabinet approved the amendment in the Development Control Rule (DCR) to offer protection to the occupants of the hutments.

According to the provisions in the DCR, the occupants had the right of rehabilitation if they had moved in before the cut-off date of January 1, 1995. In case of vital projects, the cut-off date was January 1, 2000. More than 63% of hutments in Sector V of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), which was being developed by Mhada, had become ineligible due to the condition.

However, the occupants who had not moved in prior to the cut-off date, will have to pay the transfer fee of Rs40,000 for residential structures and Rs60,000 for commercial ones. The decision will applicable to the slum rehabilitation projects that have been issued the letter of intent. However, the occupants that have been living in the hutments at least for one year in the hutment are eligible for the benefit.

Nearly 10 to 20% of the slum-dwellers moved in the hutments after the cut-off date. Barring vital projects—DRP, MUTP and airport development—all other slums prior to January 1, 1995 have been protected in the city and the suburbs.  “This would help in pushing ambitious projects as most of the occupants in were ineligible for rehabilitation. The existing provisions needed the occupants to be the resident of the structure prior to the cut-off date,” chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said.