Hindustan Times 21.04.2010
‘Govt has favoured builders for 10 years’
The Opposition has blamed the government-builder nexus for the city’s crumbling infrastructure.
The allegations were made during a debate on Mumbai’s infrastructure problems.
Opposition leader in the Assembly, Eknath Khadse, said that the state favoured certain builders, who redeveloped mill lands and slums pockets under slum rehabilitation schemes.
Khadse demanded a probe into the favours granted to many leading builders and developers by the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party in the past ten years.
The allegations could be embarrassing for a senior Maharashtra leader from Congress. Launching an attack on the government for various land deals in the past decade, Khadse wondered why property of seven mills–Kohinoor, Indian United (2 and 3), Apollo, Elphinstone, Jupitor and New Hind--was amalgamated for redevelopment proposals. “Prime land was given to developers while 33 per cent of it was given to the civic body and Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA),” Khadse alleged. “The government lost Rs 1,000 crore in this deal while developers like DLF and India Bulls made money by constructing swanky commercial and residential buildings.”
Khadse also alleged that there were irregularities in the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). “MHADA is planning to redevelop transit camps though privatisation. I want MHADA to redevelop all 56 transit camps so lower and middle class people get houses,” Khadse said.
He made allegations of fraud in the redevelopment of police colonies too. Chief Minister Ashok Chavan will reply to the debate on Wednesday.
The Opposition has also demanded a comprehensive policy for the city’s development in next 25 years.
Khadse added that a time-bound action plan was necessary to improve civic amenities, basic infrastructure and augmenting power generation and water supply.
