Rehabilitate mill workers before developing land: Deshmukh

Mumbai, July 24 (UNI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today told the Legislative Assembly that mill owners will not be given permission to re-develop their land unless they rehabilitate mill workers on the mill land itself.

The assurance was given to a supplementary of the main question asked by Datta Nalawade, Gajanan Kiritikar and Subhash Desai (Shiv Sena) during question hour.

Mr Deshmukh was responding to supplementaries that the mill owners were offering to provide alternate land to the mill workers in the suburbs.

Reiterating that his government was committed to protecting the interests of the mill workers, he said re-development will start within the next three months. Work had already begun on the New Hind mill land.

Due to the steps taken by the government, the mill workers received arrears to the tune of Rs 800 crore, the Chief Minister informed.

Mr Deshmukh said about 9.32 hectare has been made available for construction of 12,000 tenements. Of which, 6000 homes will be for mill workers and another 6000 for transmit camps to house tenants of old cessed buildings.

A committee, comprising Chief Secretary and representatives of trade unions, will scrutinise the eligible mill workers for the housing project.

UNI