State wants landlords to be generous for slum schemes

State wants landlords to be generous for slum schemes
Vinu Lal

Mumbai, July 17: Amid scepticism about the success of the project, the state government under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has chalked out a fresh scheme where landlords can surrender their property in exchange for additional Floor Space Index (FSI), Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) and other similar benefits. An agreement to this effect was signed by all parties concerned on June 14.

Unlike other SRA schemes before it, this one entails direct interaction between landlords and the state government, with the latter stating that an insufficient number of builders had come forward for earlier schemes. However, industry sources say they are apprehensive about the new scheme as there is already surplus TDR available in the market by way of constructed tenements under various schemes. The government, on the other hand, justifies the new project, citing the acute shortage of land to rehabilitate the increasing number of slum-dwellers in the city.

According to the present scheme, any landlord can surrender half the land he owns in return for TDR or FSI of equal value to the property he has surrendered or utilisation of the same amount of FSI for construction on other plots he may own. The first batch of proposals, which envisages construction of 3,000 tenements, will accommodate pavement-dwellers from Zone-I, ie, civic wards A to E. Though the SRA and BMC are the executing and nodal agencies for the scheme, the eligibility of pavement dwellers will be decided by non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Also, whereas earlier SRA schemes were planned for in situ development (rehabilitating beneficiaries at the same place where they exist), the same will not apply this time around. As the first batch of redevelopment, pavement-dwellers in Zone 1 covering areas like Crawford Market, Fort, Colaba till Mumbai Central covering all main island city portions will be rehabilitated.

Once a plot is identified, an agreement will be signed between the landowner, the construction company, the SRA, the BMC, NGOs and representatives of the community. After the SRA takes over the land, it will hand it over to the BMC for actual development by appointing developers to construct transit camps, where these squatters could be accomodated for a maximum period of two years.

Government sources say the National Slum-Dwellers Federation, the Society for Promotion of Area Resrouces and Mahila Milan have been shortlisted to work with communities of slum-dwellers and to compile a list of beneficiaries. They will also be involved in the construction of transit tenements and assist slum-dwellers as they make the transition from pavement to their new accommodation, ie, after their societies are registered and the mandatory cooperatives are formed.

The BMC's support to the scheme has been highlighted as it is expected to provide water, sanitation and offsite infrastructure and amenities to the transit tenements, to coordinate the same process in this project and work actively with communities and NGOs to clear the pavements.