MUMBAI: BJP’s Mumbai North-East Lok Sabha candidate Mihir Kotecha has called for in-situ rehabilitation of slum dwellers, an issue that has agitated his supporters who apprehend large-scale influx from Dharavi as well as entry of project-affected people (PAP) displaced by infrastructure work across the city.
On Thursday Kotecha in a letter to chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis asked for a demographic and social impact assessment survey by an institution of national repute to assess the impact of housing 7,500 families of project-affected persons (PAPs) in Mulund East. According to Kotecha, the project to house 7,500 PAPs in Mulund was sanctioned when Uddhav Thackeray was the CM and without consultation with local elected representatives, citizens and town planning experts.
Kotecha is BJP’s sitting MLA from Mulund and at present both relocation of PAPs and Dharavi residents have been proposed in Mulund.
With a vast expanse of salt pan lands stretching from Mulund to Kanjurmarg, the Mumbai North-East constituency is likely to see an inflow of PAPs if govt looks towards these open spaces to rehabilitate slum-dwellers.
The BJP’s North Mumbai candidate, Union minister Piyush Goyal, has called for a slum-free Mumbai and the utilization of salt pan lands for rehabilitation of slum-dwellers.
Kotecha in his letter has maintained a stoic silence on relocation of Dharavi residents to Mulund but has asked govt to restrain the BMC from implementing the PAP relocation project.
Speaking to TOI on Thursday, Kotecha said there must be in-situ rehabilitation of Dharavi residents. “In all private slum rehab schemes rehab is in-situ, and so it must be with the Dharavi redevelopment scheme. They may relocate them on the Wadala salt pan lands as it is very close to Dharavi and will not impact the social, educational and economic life of the people,” he said.
Mulund residents have strongly opposed both the PAP relocation project and a rental housing scheme for Dharavi residents. In Feb the residents held a silent human chain protest to protest the relocation.
“If this (PAP) project is implemented it will result in the relocation of 40,000 people in Mulund East which is the centre of Marathi culture. There is a conspiracy to disturb the peace of the area,” said Kotecha.
“The effects of this project have created an atmosphere of fear and confusion among the local citizens. The project will increase the population burden and traffic congestion in North East Mumbai. It will also increase the strain on public infrastructure,” said Kotecha in his letter to the govt reflecting the concerns of voters.
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