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This is an archive article published on April 19, 2009
Slum rehab scheme: BJP,Congress at loggerheads over who is better
There was excitement on Wednesday night among residents of Sambhaji Nagar-a slum pocket off the western express highway in Vile Parle that is up for rehabilitation to pave the way for the airport expansion project.
Written by Shashank Shekhar
Mumbai | April 19, 2009 03:18 AM IST
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There was excitement on Wednesday night among residents of Sambhaji Nagar-a slum pocket off the western express highway in Vile Parle that is up for rehabilitation to pave the way for the airport expansion project. The buzz was around rehabilitation of the slum dwellers displaced by the project and who will deliver their poll promise better,Mahesh Jethmalani,the BJP candidate or sitting MP Priya Dutt in the traditionally pro-Congress seat of Mumbai North-Central. The talks of Sambhaji Nagar residents mainly centered on the possible swing in this years poll results in favour of BJP,whose cadres are sparing no efforts to mobilise voters citing Priya Dutts inefficiency in taking care of major issues that affect the general populace of the constituency.
And at the heart of all issues in the constituency of about 18 lakh voters,lies the issue of slum rehabilitation of about 85,000 families living on 276 acres of airport land,who have been resisting resettlement to areas such as Mankhurd and Dahisar and constitute anywhere between 10 to 15 per cent votes.
On being questioned about their strategies to tackle the issue of rehabilitation from airport land,both parties say that they would ensure that project affected people (PAP) are not resettled on the outskirts and instead are shifted to nearby areas,which will not affect their livelihoods.
We are not against airport expansion,but not at the cost of dislocating more than 80,000 families. There is about 200 acres of government land near Sahar and a small portion of that land can be used to rehabilitate them, said Mahesh Jethmalani. Similarly the Congress says that in the first phase of rehabilitation,which will happen by November,the families would be given 300 square feet accommodation and townships,with even temples and mosques being built for them.
When the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was shifting them outside Dahisar,it was we who stood by them, said Nasim Khan,Congresss MLA from Kurla and Minister of State for Home.
BJPs leader and Mahesh Jethmalanis campaign manager,Parag Alvani,however said that this election,the BJPs chances of a swing are very strong as it is being felt at the ground level. Jethmalani himself questioned Priya Dutts work in the area. What has Priya Dutt done for the constituency? he quipped. The percentage of slums in the constituency has increased from 50 to 73 per cent since the last few decades before 99 during Congress reign, he added.
Krishna Hegde,Priya Dutts campaign manager and spokesperson,dismissed Jethmalanis allegations as baseless. She has over 20 years of track record in social service whereas Mahesh Jethmalani has no track record of it whatsoever. While the slum rehab was started when the BJP-Sena government was in power,even the problem of water shortage in the slum areas began when the BJP-Sena was heading the municipality, said Hegde.
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And while the BJP says that the support shown from the ground level has been phenomenal,the Congress arrogantly says that there are no chances of BJP winning the seat. Theyre not a threat at all. And were not working towards winning but increasing the margin of votes, said Naseem Khan.
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