E-Paper
Over five years later, slum rehab scheme initiated at Patil Estate slum
The slum rehabilitation scheme will follow the Pune SRA regulations for both residential and non-residential slumdwellers
More than five years later, the Pune Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has initiated a slum rehabilitation scheme at Patil Estate slum, part of which was destroyed in a fire that broke out in November 2018.
The Patil Estate slum sits on six acres of land owned by the College of Engineering Pune (CoEP) Technological University. This land was allotted to the CoEP in the late 1980s for education purposes but could not be utilised due to encroachment. Over time, four acres of the land were occupied by shanties with legal status and the remaining two acres were taken up by illegal shanties. From just 250 dwellings, the slum grew to 1,200 tenements. In November 2018, a fire broke out in which nearly 100 out of the 1,200 hutments were completely gutted.
The slum rehabilitation scheme will follow the Pune SRA regulations for both residential and non-residential slumdwellers, with a minimum density of 450 tenements per hectare considered for the rehabilitation and sale component. If the density exceeds 450 tenements per hectare, the eligibility will be adjusted accordingly. For higher densities, such as 650 tenements per hectare or 850 tenements per hectare, the developer will receive additional incentives as per SRA regulations. The rehabilitation (construction) has to be completed in 36 months from the date of the commencement certificate. If there is any delay, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the SRA will consider an extension based on the situation, if needed.
Bhalchandra Birajdar, professor and head of the applied mechanics department at CoEP, said, “Now that we have become a university, our rules have changed. Last week, we sent a letter to the state government requesting consent to allow construction on the CoEP land that has been encroached upon by slums. The land was originally allotted to the CoEP for educational purposes but it has been encroached upon. We have once again asked the state government for permission to implement an SRA scheme on this land. Through this scheme, the slumdwellers will receive 300 square foot tenements, which they have been demanding and the state government has made a special provision for this in the SRA policy.”
“The living conditions of the slumdwellers are miserable. After the implementation of the scheme, they will receive proper tenements and the CoEP will regain the land according to SRA rules. Once that happens, we will decide in a board meeting how to utilise the land. Under the SRA, we will aim to maximise the educational benefits from this land. There is a possibility to use it for staff quarters, a postgraduate hostel, or other educational activities,” Birajdar said.
Pratobha Ingale, additional collector of the Pune SRA, said, “We have floated a tender and called developers for an SRA scheme to be initiated at the Patil Estate slum. The tender will open soon. After that, we will calculate tenements and other construction activities.”
