PAPs of Mithi river project demand rehabilitation

Project affected people (PAPs) of the Mithi river project have alleged that although they shifted from the Indiranagar slums in Kurla to enable the widening and cleaning of the river, they have not been rehabilitated as yet.

Project affected people (PAPs) of the Mithi river project have alleged that although they shifted from the Indiranagar slums in Kurla to enable the widening and cleaning of the river, they have not been rehabilitated as yet.

HT Image

Hutments belonging to these PAPs, which once lined the banks of the Mithi river, were demolished by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in March 2006.

Out of the nearly 390 slums that were demolished, residents of 92 slums were made eligible for rehabilitation in 2008 after the collector's office wrote a letter to the MMRDA and also submitted a list of PAPs who are eligible for rehabilitation. In the letter, the collector asked the MMRDA to take appropriate action to rehabilitate residents of the 92 eligible slums.

But these slum dwellers are still waiting to be accommodated. “We have been talking to the MMRDA authorities since long, but have always been told that the papers have been sent to Mantralaya for approval. It’s been three years since we’ve been declared eligible but have not been provided a place to stay,” said slum dweller Gulabchandra Gupta.

“Most of us are very poor and can’t afford to stay on rent. I have taken a room on rent but have sent my kids back to my native place, as I cannot afford to keep them here and bear the expenses of my family along with the monthly rental,” said Islamuddin Ansari, another slum dweller.

Dilip Kawathkar, project co-coordinator, MMRDA said, “We will immediately rehabilitate these slum dwellers.”