The division bench of Justice B P Saraf and A Y Sakhare had earlier ordered the SSPP to file an affidavit explaining the feasibility of their housing scheme. The direction came in the wake of a petition filed by Rahul New Prabuddha Dnyaneshwar Nagar Residents Welfare Society, questioning the SSPP's credentials. Accordingly, SSPP executive engineer (city) B D Gangurde filed a 28-page detailed affidavit today. However, the queries raised by the court remained unanswered in the affidavit.

Therefore, Justice Saraf asked the company to answer the following questions in the coming two days. First, how many slumdwellers exist in Mumbai, and how much funds will berequired to give free dwellings to each of them? Second, the scheme proposes to build free houses from the extra dwellings which will be built and could be sold later at market rate. But, from which money will the initial houses be built? To this, SSPP counsel R D Soni said MHADA and MMRDA (Mumbai Mahanagar Regional Development Authority) have promised Rs 300 crore as initial capital.

The company will first build 50,000 houses and then proceed with the rest as per availability of funds. Soni said after a particular slum locality is taken up for rehabilitation, the dwellers will get new houses (220 sq ft each) within three years. Meanwhile, dwellers will be shifted to transit camps, all pucca houses, free of cost.

In all the rehabilitation schemes, the SSPP Limited will be the developers. Private developers can join only as contractors.

After the company was floated, around four schemes, including Rahulnagar, have been approved. Soni said the exact financial make-up of these schemes will be soonexplained to the court. Moreover, the amount to be paid by the dwellers as `maintenance' will also be made clear later.

Interestingly, another petition complaining against MHADA's callous attitide towards maintenance of its transit camps is also being heard by the same division bench of Justice Saraf and Sakhare. Petitioner Mumbai Bhadekaru Sangh has told the court about the deplorable conditions in the camps.

MHADA's affidavit in this regard says it will take up reconstruction work soon after getting additional funds from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the state government. Therefore, Justice Saraf today questioned the contradiction in MHADA and SSPP affidavits. He asked how SSPP could depend on MHADA, which is already pinning its hopes on government resources.