Illegal slum dwellers up to January 2011 to get homes on payments

Mumbai: Following the state government’s notification to protect illegal slums that were built in the period between January 2001 to January 2011 on Wednesday, which was announced in the Nagpur Assembly session last year by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, the slum settlers will now be eligible for rehabilitation on payment under the Prime Minister’s ‘Housing For All’ scheme.

Looking at the Assembly elections next year, the chief minister decided to raise the deadline for protection, according to sources. The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government had provided slums with protection till January 1, 2001, but had not received the Supreme Court nod for it.

As per orders issued by the housing department, these slum dwellers will not get free homes in the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects, which will try to accommodate them in their ongoing and pending projects.

The slum dwellers have to produce one proof of existence of the slum and one proof of persons staying in the period between January 2001 to January 2011. After scrutiny of documents they will be eligible for rehabilitation on payments and rates will be fixed as per the norms of affordable housing scheme in the particular project, the housing department clarified.  

Though under SRA, the slum dweller cannot sell his home for 10 years but the government has relaxed this condition for these slum dwellers, who will get homes on payments. However, upon receiving their homes under the housing for all scheme, the husband and wife will not be eligible for any other government housing scheme, said housing department officers.