While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued directions to demolish slums, which are above 14 feet high, after monsoon, the Congress on the other hand wants the height of hutments in
While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued directions to demolish slums, which are above 14 feet high, after monsoon, the Congress on the other hand wants the height of hutments in the city to be increased further.
Opposition leader Pravin Chheda from Congress on Tuesday demanded that slum dwellers in the city should be given permission to increase height of their hutments from 14 feet to 19 feet on humanitarian grounds.
On the backdrop of a fire at medical shop in Juhu, in which nine people lost their lives, civic chief Ajoy Mehta has asked civic officials to demolish the huts beyond 14 feet after the monsoon. If somebody obstructs the demolition action or threatens, their names should be taken on record and submit to the municipal commissioner, he had said.
However, Congress has said that the move will be an injustice to lakhs of slum dwellers living in the city. “The BMC’s decision has created fear in the minds of slum dwellers. At one side the BMC is giving water to all the slum dwellers, and at the other it will demolish their hutments. The municipal commissioner is trying to cover the failure of civic administration in preventing these structures. Why did not they take action in last 20 years ” he added.
He also alleged that Mr Metha was acting at the behest of BJP, which wanted to destabilise the slum vote bank of Shiv Sena and Congress ahead of BMC elections.
