Tansa rehabilitation project: NGO to help move families

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will soon rope in a non-governmental organisation (NGO) to assist with the rehabilitation of over 7,000 families under the Tansa rehabilitation project.

With an aim to secure the water mains from pilferage,the BMC had begun the project to remove slumdwellers along the Tansa main pipeline in May. Slumdwellers living 10 metres on either side of the pipeline were to be removed under the scheme. The civic body has already allotted homes to about 1,200 families in two of the nine wards,which are to be covered under the scheme,to Mankhurd,while the rest have to be shifted to Mahul.

Of the total 8,750 families to be shifted,1,200 from G North (Dadar and Mahim) and S Ward (Mahim) have already been allotted homes. We are planning to invite tenders from NGOs who will be willing to help in shifting the families in the remaining seven wards. These families find it difficult to adjust to a new place. The NGOs will help them in this process, said Additional Municipal Commissioner Rajeev Jalota.

Story continues below this ad

According to Jalota,they are in talks with city-based NGOs,some of whom have volunteered to undertake the project for free.

According to an official involved in the project,Typically,slumdwellers protest when they are to be rehabilitated as most of them earn their livelihood in the area they are living in. Once rehabilitated,they face problems of earning livelihood,sending children to schools,transport etc. The BMC does not help them with these issues. It usually allots them a house and leaves them on their own. The NGO can help them adjust to the new place and find alternate sources of revenue.

The seven wards where the BMC will take help of an NGO include F North (Matunga Wadala),G North (Dadar) ,H East (Bandra east),K East (Andheri east),N Ward (Ghatkopar east) T Ward (Mulund west) and L Ward (Kurla). The rehabilitation plan was earlier expected to be completed in four phases by 2015,but since the BMC already has the required number of houses for the project-affected people,it hopes to finish the project by 2012. According to the initial survey conducted by the BMC,of the total 15,789 huts,8,760 are eligible as they were there before the cut-off date of 1995. According to officials,about 2,103 huts had come up between 1995 and 2000 for which eligibility is not clear.

The BMC had initiated the project following a PIL filed by NGO Janhit Manch claiming that 20 per cent of the citys water supply was lost in theft,wastage or leakages because of squatters. Later,the court had ordered to constitute a committee comprising the chief secretary,director general of police,municipal commissioner and others to look into the problem.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram