BMC, MMRDA to shift slums for nulla widening

Mumbai, May 20 (UNI) The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMDRA) in a joint operation will shift around 520 slums of Shastri Nagar in Goregaon in western Mumbai.

The slums will be shifted to Mankhurd and Poonam Nagar in eastern suburbs to undertake the widening of two nullas - Walbert river nulla and Shastri Nagar nulla - in the area.

BMC officials and the Collector office have been surveying since the past one week and have almost finalised the formalities to shift the slum dwellers. ''It is only a matter of time when the slum dwellers will be shifted to other locations,'' an official involved with the survey said.

The Assistant Municipal Commissioner (AMC) of P-South ward Babasaab Pawar said, ''The nulla widening at Walbert river and Shastri Nagar nulla can be continued after the slums are shifted and it will be done in the coming week. The nulla widening is almost complete except for a few hitches.'' BMC officials who are working on some of the road projects said that the major part of the road construction and repairing work is being undertaken by MMRDA and they are sure of completing it before the rains.

The BMC's demolition squad of P-South ward had demolished the slums in Naya Nagar area of Goregaon West last month and the slum dwellers have constructed the slums around the drainage pipe line once again.

''Once we are given police protection by the local police we will undertake the demolition once again,'' Mr Pawar added.

UNI