Re: STRICT ANTI-SLUM LAWS INSTEAD OF RENTAL HOUSING SCANDAL IN MAHARASHTRAs BOMBAY REGION...

On Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 12:28 PM, marc dias <marcrd9@gmail.com> wrote:

Sir,

 

The Maharashtra government in association with private builders ( the builders are obviously friends of the ruling congress/ncp politicians ) is constructing 5 Lac rental homes in Mumbai and parts of Thane and Raigad districts.

 

The Maharashtra govt. has given an excuse that constructions of the 5 Lac rental homes will prevent growth of slums in Mumbai and its extended suburbs this is total Nonsense. If the Maharashtra govt. wants to prevent growth of slums then why is it not passing stringent laws making land encroachment a non-bailable offence punishable with fines and imprisonment of minimum 2 years. The constructions of the 5 Lac rental homes is nothing but a housing scandal which is only going to benefit politicians and builders.

 

It is also very sad that the Maharashtra govt. is handing over the few open spaces that are left in the western and eastern suburbs to MHADA, SRA, Private builders for constructing huge housing complexes. The Maharashtra govt. is not at all bothered about the infrastructure problems ( water shortage, traffic jams, etc)  these huge housing complexes will create neither the Maharashtra govt. is bothered about the ecological and environmental damage it is doing to Mumbai by robbing Mumbai of its open spaces.

 

In the name of Vote Bank Politics the slum dwellers in Mumbai who have encroached land in broad day light have been rewarded by the Maharashtra govt. and BMC with free water connections ( the slum areas in bombay get more water supply than non-slum areas because the slum dwellers are the vote banks of politicians) , the  houses of slum dwellers have been regularized, the slum dwellers have been given all government documents including voters id and ration cards.

 

Most of the slum dwellers who get free 270 sq.ft. apartments under the SRA scheme either sell their apartments for anywhere between 7 to 14 Lac rupees either they give their apartment on rent for anywhere between 4000 to 7000 Rs and these slum dwellers again encroach new open spaces and again they become vote banks and again they get free 270 sq. ft. apartments and this cycle keeps repeating.

 

It's a pity that the law abiding and tax paying citizens of Bombay/Mumbai are not protesting against the Maharashtra govt., the BMC and the Vote hungry politicians who are allowing slum dwellers and builders to ruin Bombay forever.

 

Yours faithfully,

Marc Dias,

Mumbai.