The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has commenced the door-to-door biometric slum survey in Mumbai and Thane.
The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has commenced the door-to-door biometric slum survey in Mumbai and Thane.
Under this programme, all the slum dwellers in Mumbai and Thane region will be identified. The slum dwellers will then be provided with a ‘smart card’ that will be a proof of them being the real owner of a shanty.
According to SRA officials, three companies appointed by the SRA will form teams, and each member will carry a tablet with pre-loaded survey forms to collect information about the hutment and family.
“The team members will also collect hard copies of all documents and submit them to the SRA. The functioning of the SRA has changed and we wanted to directly communicate with the slum dwellers, which is the reason for the biometric survey,” said an SRA official under the condition of anonymity.
He also added, “The slum dwellers can also apply for Aadhaar cards with the teams. In cases where wrong information is provided, the SRA will have to rectify them, and so the process might take a long time.”
A release by the SRA said, “The Maharashtra government aims to eliminate all slum areas in Maharashtra by 2022 and this process is scheduled to begin from Mumbai. The government implores every slum dweller to provide the necessary information and documents to the SRA officials visiting his/her hutment and fulfil their duties as responsible Mumbaikars.”
