New Housing draft-a bonanza for builders; Medha Patkar

Mumbai, Nov 4 (UNI) The new housing draft policy of Maharashtra government came under scathing attack today by Convenor of the National Alliance of People's Movement (NAPM) Medha Patkar who dubbed it 'a bonanza for builders and corporates to capture prime land'.

Addressing reporters here, Ms Patkar came down heavily on the state government for announcing the draft policy without deliberations and consent of the people.

Accusing the government of bowing to external pressures from World Bank, IDBI, builders and corporates, she pointed that the new draft policy giving benefits the 'Low-Income Groups'(LIG) and 'Middle-Income Groups'(MIG) was just a 'rhetoric' as the working class would face eviction from Central locations of the cities to be rehabiltated in it's periphery.

The Narmada Bachao Andolan(NBA) activist drew attention to the latest Audit report of the CAG that lambasted the state government for its irregularities, non-utilisation of alloted funds, breach of guidelines and excessive payments to implementing agencies in the schemes and programmes meant for slum dwellers.

Ms Patkar maintained that repealing of the Urban Land Ceiling Act (ULCRA) 'exposed the moral bankruptcy of the government and influence of the builders lobby in the decision making process'.

She pinpointed that the new draft policy takes away the power of Collector for granting permission to an agricultural land for any non-agricultural purpose. The powers have been alloted to the upcoming and new municipal corporations in Virar, Panvel, Raigad among others to facilitate Special Economic Zones (sezs), she argued.

As a result, large chunk of farming and fishing communities in those areas will be uprooted affecting their livelihood.''The largest land grab of approving more than 45 SEZ proposals by the state government, is supported by the latest policy'', she alleged.

The NBA activist stressed that in the current scenario, the very concept of 'Public Projects' becomes contestable. The new draft will further the regional disparity across the state, as Mumbai Urban Agglomerate is to get the maximum benefits, she added.

She demanded that 15,000 acres of land available under ULCRA be acquired at low rate for housing the poor and the middle class. In its order, the Bombay High Court had issued directives to the state government to purchase 1000 acres by February next year.

Arvind Adarkar, an architect who is also a member of the Committee appointed by the Bombay High Court to review housing policy, argued that the state government appointed a Task force comprising members of the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing to Frame the new draft policy.

He said the new policy was announced by the government even before the Court-appointed committe presented its recommendations.

UNI GVS PM/OBB KD RN2016