Defence minister asks Maharashtra to send slum revamp proposal

The defence ministry also allowed the state government to start slum mapping before redevelopment. Most defence land parcels are in Santacruz and Colaba.

Updated on: May 19, 2018, 00:26:34 IST

Hindustan Times | By Faisal Malik, Mumbai

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In a move that may give fillip to redevelopment of slums on defence land, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday asked chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to send a formal proposal in this regard.

The defence ministry also allowed the state government to start slum mapping before redevelopment. Most defence land parcels are in Santacruz and Colaba.

Sitharaman also directed defence ministry officials to provide permission for public and utilities projects involving defence land. She gave an in-principal approval for two small land parcels to be used for a tunnel for the Metro-3 project. The decisions were taken in a meeting chaired by Sitharaman and Fadnavis.

The chief minister is keen on redeveloping slums in Mumbai. The redevelopment of slums of defence land has been pending for many years owing to resistance from the defence ministry. The issue was first discussed in the western zonal council meeting headed by Union home minister Rajnath Singh.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Faisal Malik
Faisal Malik is a senior journalist with over two and a half decades of experience covering Maharashtra’s politics, governance and public policy with a deep understanding of the state’s political landscape. He is a Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times and has been associated with its Mumbai edition for more than a decade. Based in Mumbai, Faisal currently covers three major political parties in Maharashtra — Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and NCP (Sharad Pawar). Over the years, he has extensively reported on major political developments, combining investigative insights with in-depth field reporting. His coverage has spanned a wide range of issues, from drought, farmer suicides, major development projects and grassroots challenges to major electoral battles, including three Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections — 2014, 2019 and 2024. Before joining Hindustan Times, he worked with ‘The Asian Age’ and ‘Dainik Bhaskar’. An avid tea enthusiast, he enjoys reading history, Urdu literature and classical poetry. When away from the newsroom, he writes Urdu poetry inspired by human emotions, life's experiences, meaningful reflections and relationships. An amateur photographer, Faisal is passionate about capturing moments that often go unnoticed by the naked eye.Read More