The Times of India 18.04.2013
CM Prithviraj Chavan rejects demolition stay, nod to rehab
Chief
minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday rejected a demand to stay
demolitions of illegal constructions in Thane district. But Chavan
accepted the demand for transit accommodation for residents of these
buildings, and said the government would utilise tenements being made
available under the rental housing scheme to shift them. He also
indicated the government has decided to widen the scope of cluster
redevelopment to ensure planned redevelopment of illegal buildings in
the district.
The general body of the Thane Municipal Corporation on Wednesday passed a resolution
to regularize all illegal structures in the lake city up to 2010.
However, leaders of most political parties have called for a complete
shut-down of Thane on Thursday to pressurize the TMC to stop the
demolition drive and to compel the state government to sanction higher
FSI for congested pockets in Wagle Estate, Lokmanya Nagar, Vartak Nagar
and Mumbra. The MNS and the BJP have distanced themselves from the bandh
call.
Activists however claimed the hidden agenda of politicians was to secure their vote-banks by pressing for a state pardon of all illegal homes in their constituencies and profit from the builder-driven rehabilitation and redevelopment plans in their areas. "Illegal buildings standing cheek-by-jowl in Wagle Estate, Kalwa or Mumbra have already consumed an FSI of anywhere between 4 to7. If this illegality has to be condoned and a rehab plan has to be initiated, the biggest beneficiary will be the elected representatives from these areas,'' said Dayanand Nene, an activist from Thane.
"Developers who took up cluster redevelopment project of Mumbai's cessed properties were to get 60-70% additional FSI. The Thane politicians are seeking the same FSI benefits for their constituencies without considering the strain on social infrastructure in the area. The higher FSI would result in windfall profits for the builder and a share of profits is bound to reach the elected representatives,'' Nene claimed.
On Wednesday, legislators from the NCP and opposition parties sought a stay on the demolition drive in the assembly. But Chavan said, "Who would take responsibility for these if they came down like the Lucky Compound building." Claiming 3,700 rental housing tenements were ready, he said 50% of these have to be allotted to mill workers , the remaining will be used to provide transit accommodation for residents of illegal Thane buildings. He said a revised cluster redevelopment model will also be introduced.
Varsity appeals for smooth exams
University has appealed to all political parties to allow the conduct of undergraduate and postgraduate exams during the Thane bandh. The university also appealed to parties not to obstruct students from reaching their centres on time. Exams will be held as per schedule in all five districts of Thane.
This bandh is all about politics, not Mumbra victims
No call for a bandh can be justified; but preposterousness of the issues this bandh seeks to highlight sets it apart from others. Rehabilitation is a complex issue, fraught with problems even in societies much less corrupt and politicised than ours. In Mumbra, the first question that arises is who pays for the rehabilitation that politicians have suddenly put as a precondition for removing illegal structures.
Activists however claimed the hidden agenda of politicians was to secure their vote-banks by pressing for a state pardon of all illegal homes in their constituencies and profit from the builder-driven rehabilitation and redevelopment plans in their areas. "Illegal buildings standing cheek-by-jowl in Wagle Estate, Kalwa or Mumbra have already consumed an FSI of anywhere between 4 to7. If this illegality has to be condoned and a rehab plan has to be initiated, the biggest beneficiary will be the elected representatives from these areas,'' said Dayanand Nene, an activist from Thane.
"Developers who took up cluster redevelopment project of Mumbai's cessed properties were to get 60-70% additional FSI. The Thane politicians are seeking the same FSI benefits for their constituencies without considering the strain on social infrastructure in the area. The higher FSI would result in windfall profits for the builder and a share of profits is bound to reach the elected representatives,'' Nene claimed.
On Wednesday, legislators from the NCP and opposition parties sought a stay on the demolition drive in the assembly. But Chavan said, "Who would take responsibility for these if they came down like the Lucky Compound building." Claiming 3,700 rental housing tenements were ready, he said 50% of these have to be allotted to mill workers , the remaining will be used to provide transit accommodation for residents of illegal Thane buildings. He said a revised cluster redevelopment model will also be introduced.
Varsity appeals for smooth exams
University has appealed to all political parties to allow the conduct of undergraduate and postgraduate exams during the Thane bandh. The university also appealed to parties not to obstruct students from reaching their centres on time. Exams will be held as per schedule in all five districts of Thane.
This bandh is all about politics, not Mumbra victims
No call for a bandh can be justified; but preposterousness of the issues this bandh seeks to highlight sets it apart from others. Rehabilitation is a complex issue, fraught with problems even in societies much less corrupt and politicised than ours. In Mumbra, the first question that arises is who pays for the rehabilitation that politicians have suddenly put as a precondition for removing illegal structures.
