State seeks Centre nod for slum rehabilitation near Juhu airport
Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has written a letter to union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia seeking no objection certificate (NOC) for implementing slum rehabilitation scheme near Juhu airport in Mumbai
Mumbai: Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has written a letter to union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia seeking no objection certificate (NOC) for implementing slum rehabilitation scheme near Juhu airport in Mumbai.
The letter dated January 12 mentioned that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has a 25-acre of land adjoining Juhu airport, which houses slums like Nehru Nagar, Indira Nagar and Shivaji Nagar with over 50,000 population.
“The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) had conducted a house-to-house biometric survey in these areas and the AAI had given its NOC for around 8,000 houses. We now request an NOC for preparation of Annexure 2 of the surveyed homes, which is a list of eligible and ineligible units as per guidelines of the state government. We are committed to providing in situ accommodation to all eligible unit holders to realise the Prime Minister’s dream of housing for all,” the letter read.
“It is pertinent to note that the said tract of land can be put to use by the AAI only if it is freed of slums and developed in a manner wherein the AAI can also get space for its office or housing quarters. This way the development will be a win-win situation as the slum dwellers will get permanent houses, the state government will be able to pursue its vision of a slum-free Mumbai and the AAI can get space for its desired use,” the letter mentioned.
Fadnavis urged Scindia to give a nod for the preparation of Annexure-2 of the survey to expedite the development process.
Meanwhile, a senior AAI officer said the state government wants to link slum redevelopment to the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and resettle slum dwellers.
On the other hand, captain Mohini Shroff, one of the oldest women pilots in the country, who started her career in Juhu said, “Why cannot the government relocate the slums elsewhere. Having towers inside the airport will reduce the operational area of the airport. J R D Tata, father of civil aviation in India, took a lot of pain to set up the airport, which was the country’s first.’’
Juhu airport is the oldest airport in the country where JRD Tata started flying under the aegis of Bombay Flying Club. At present, it is owned by the AAI and spread over 428 acres.
The slums are mainly located on the northern end of the airport. Even a part of the movie, Slumdog Millionaire, was shot here in the slums. Till a decade ago, the airport had porous walls and these were sealed four years back. The garbage thrown from slums harbours birds which can be hazardous to small planes and helicopters.