Mumbai, Oct 14 (IANS) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Ramabai Ambedkar and Kamraj Nagar slums from north east Mumbai, saying that the dream of the residents, to have their own house, will not remain just on paper, but modern and well-equipped houses will be built in this area within two years.

“The work of slum rehabilitation has been undertaken through group development. Through this, the government will provide beautiful and fully-facilitated houses to the slum dwellers free of cost. No one will be deprived of development and housing,” he said.

Fadnavis said that the dream redevelopment project of the citizens of Ramabai Ambedkar and Kamraj Nagar, who have been living in a dilapidated condition for the last 45 years, has been launched.

“Efforts have been going on in this regard for many years. The government decided to do this work directly from government agencies, avoiding the complications of developers. This project is being implemented jointly by the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The state government has provided temporary accommodation to the citizens here by paying two years’ advance rent. Now MMRDA and SRA should complete this construction within two years,” he added.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde presented the concept of group redevelopment.

Taking this concept forward, the government has approved a large-scale group redevelopment policy for Mumbai. Through this scheme, people living in slums will be rehabilitated by providing not only houses but also all the facilities like playgrounds, gyms, schools, and health centres. This is the true implementation of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s idea of equality. Even if the profit decreases, we will develop slums through group redevelopment.

He announced that the memorial of Mata Ramabai Ambedkar will be built from the cluster redevelopment scheme in Ramabai Nagar.

Ajit Pawar said that Ramabai Nagar and Kamraj Nagar are not just a cluster of slums but a place that is a witness to struggle, self-respect and determination.

“The hard work and sweat of the workers and hardworking brothers and sisters here have played a major role in the development of Mumbai, the financial capital of the country. This area has been a strong focal point of social awareness, change and movements in Maharashtra. Today, a new era of self-respect is beginning in this area,” he said.

The rehabilitation of the Mata Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar and Kamraj Nagar in North East Mumbai is covering an area of 31.82 hectares and benefiting approximately 17,000 slum dwellers.

This is the first instance in MMRDA’s 50-year history where the Authority is implementing a slum redevelopment project as a Developer, while SRA serves as the Planning Authority.

According to MMRDA, the total area of the slum rehabilitation scheme is 31.82 ha, which comprises 17,000 slum dwellers. Out of a total of 17,000 slum households, the eligibility of 10,000 slum households has been finalised, and individual development agreements have been executed with nearly all eligible slum households. Development of the slum scheme on 31.82 ha of land will include Roads, Street lights, Drainage & Water supply, Playground, and a Primary School. After the building receives the Occupancy Certificate (O.C.), its maintenance will be carried out by the contractor for the next 10 years.

Rehabilitation of 4345 slum dwellers is proposed during phase I. Biometric survey completed and Annexure-2 published by SRA. All slum dwellers of Phase-I have been paid Rs 137.50 Crore towards advance rent for two years. MMRDA has estimated the construction cost for the Rehabilitation of buildings of Phase 1 to be Rs 1,299 crore (excluding GST) with a completion period of 36 months. The second phase will begin after the completion of phase I.

–IANS

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