State plans to extend dud SRA scheme across MMR

MUMBAI : Even as the controversial Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme of redeveloping slums by giving free houses has so far been a dud in Mumbai, the state

MUMBAI : Even as the controversial Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme of redeveloping slums by giving free houses has so far been a dud in Mumbai, the state is looking at extending the scheme to all municipal corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) — three of which have elections coming up soon.

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A committee of secretaries has been studying the modalities of how such a scheme can be designed for redevelopment of slums outside Mumbai, but within MMR with incentive built-up area for developers on the lines of the Mumbai scheme.

A senior official from the state housing department said, “Today, the city sprawl of Mumbai has expanded to areas outside the immediate city limits to the whole of MMR and slums are a challenge there too. Besides Thane, we don’t have a separate scheme to tackle slums in MMR. So, we have taken this up as one of our priorities this fiscal.”

The official said details like the exact incentives the state plans to offer developers are still being worked out.

The MMR has six municipal corporations besides Thane and Mumbai. Incidentally, three of these are headed into civic polls in 2017. The three poll-bound civic bodies are Ulhasnagar, Mira-Bhayander and Bhiwandi Nizampur. The other three are Kalyan-Dombivli, Navi Mumbai and Vasai-Virar. The six municipal corporations together account for at least four lakh slum dwelling families. The Congress-NCP government had decided to extend the scheme to Thane in 2014, close on the heels of the assembly polls.

The state government is keen on introducing a Mumbai-like slum redevelopment scheme in all corporations of MMR, despite having adopted the Centre’s pet ‘Housing for all’ mission under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, which also provides for rehabilitation of slum dwellers.

“Slum redevelopment under the ‘Housing for all mission’ requires slum dwellers to also make a contribution towards their rehabilitation in a permanent house, unlike the Mumbai model, which provides free housing,” a housing official said.

The scheme, however, has failed in tackling the slum problem. Launched two decades ago with the intention to house 8 lakh families in five years, the state has managed to rehabilitate 1.5 lakh families until now.