BMC to form separate panel,funds for PAPs

Mumbai, Oct 3 (UNI) The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will have a separate panel to take care of the Project Affected Persons (PAPs) all over the city, which will also use money that has been deposited by the developer for the rehabilitation of the PAPs.

The proposal for the separate panel was passed today in the standing committee. The panel will use Rs 40 crore that has been deposited by developers in the court.

Municipal commissioner J Phatak said that the state government has promised to clear funds for rehabilitating the PAPs in the city.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena corporator Rajendra Laad said the BMC should have transit camps in the suburbs as they can be used during landslides.

Standing committee chairman Ravindra Waikar said that the Corporation should develop its own properties for rehabilitating PAPs rather than give the properties to private developers. Mr Waikar said, ''We provide FSI, land and other facilities and at the end of the day, we get only a share of the profits.'' Group leader of Nationalist Congress Party Niyaz Ahmad Vanu pointed out that the BMC had given Crawford Market for development to a private builder who will make a profit of around Rs 1000 crore, whereas the same could have been developed by the Corporation.

Additional municpal commissioner Kishore Gajbeye said that the Corporation has around Rs 40 crore for the rehabilitation of PAPs and the separate panel that will be formed will utilize it and increase the corpus fund to Rs 80 crore.

UNI