“The
regularization drive will start from Ghutkala talao slum in couple of
days. A camp will be set up by the administration and Chandrapur Municipal Corporation
(CMC) in the slum, where the applications for regularization will by
processed and land lease (patta) would be awarded to eligible
beneficiaries,” said Waghmare.

CMC commissioner, Prakash Bokad,
who accompanied Waghmare, informed that there are 80 slums, out of
which 55 are recognized, while 25 unrecognized. “30% population of the
city lives in slum areas. In all 12,165 families resides in 55
recognized slums and they will be benefited with the regularization
drive,” he said.

Waghmare claimed that similar practice will be
followed in the other slum areas of the town. The other civic bodies in
the district have been asked to submit details of the slum areas in
their jurisdiction for regularization, he said. He appealed to the
beneficiary slum dwellers to submit necessary proofs of their residence
in encroached land since 1995.

Ex-MP Naresh Puglia had taken up
the issue of regularization of slums. He had collected 16,000
applications from slum dwellers and submitted to the administration for
regularization. But, as matter remained unresolved, he took up hunger
strike to push his demand. Revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat during his
visit here to end Puglia’s hunger strike had assured to see that slum
regularization drive starts immediately.