SRA serves notice to Mhada V-P over project delay

Mumbai: The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has issued notice to the vice-president of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), S.S. Zende, over failing to implement SRA scheme, despite getting a letter of intent (LoI) for the project in 2008.

SRA chief, Vishwas Patil, confirmed that the vice-president of Mhada is also one of the 113 builders who were issued notices earlier this week. “All the concerned parties are expected to reply to the notice within 15 days, failing which SRA will take appropriate action,” said Mr Patil.

The Asian Age had reported on December 14 that 114 builders have not implemented slum redevelopment schemes despite getting the required permissions 10 years ago. The builders concerned have all received a nod from the SRA, but failed to start any kind of work, leaving thousands of slum dwellers in the lurch.

The SRA projects inquestion are located in South Mumbai and also in the western and eastern suburbs. The SRA will also call in the concerned builders for a hearing and then decide the further course of action.

The project, particularly for which the  vice-president of Mhada was sought for a reply, is located in Bandra west. Mhada had appointed a private builder along with whom, it is carrying out the rehabilitation of slum dwellers.

When contacted, Mr Zende said, “I do not have any idea about the notice as of now and I am busy with the assembly session at Nagpur. However, if there is any notice, the concerned department will send it and we will reply to it.”

Meanwhile, a senior Mhada official oncondition of anonymity, said,  ‘The said project is under construction since many years and currently the affected people are residing at our transit camps. The one probable reason behind the delay could be the frequent changes in the rules by the government. However, every other slum rehabilitation project has its complications, considering the trust deficit slum dwellers have on the authorities.”

SRA Schemes:

• The SRA scheme allows developers to allot 269 sq. ft. to eligible slum dwellers living in that slum prior to Jan-2000.
• The state economic survey, 2015-16, reveals that SRA has completed a mere 1,512 projects compromising 1,62,502 slum families, since its inception in 1995.
• Mhada constructed merely 772 units upto Dec-15, which is its worst performance in the past five years.