The Hindu Business Line : Slum-dwellers in groups can claim land ownership

A LITTLE known law enacted in 1976 makes it mandatory on the part of Maharashtra Government to grant land ownership title to slum-dwellers, if 70 per cent of them come together and demand for such a title.

Though most slum-dwellers are ignorant of the existence of this provision in the law, a couple of hundred slum colonies in Mumbai have, with the help of some aware NGOs, demanded and got ownership of the land on which they were living, according to Mr Chandrashekhar Prabhu, architect and city development expert.

Mr Prabhu said that the 1976 law, that enabled conferment of ownership title to slum-dwellers, was not to the liking of political parties and bureaucrats. "In fact, it was primarily for taking the wind away from the sails of the 1976 law that subsequently the government brought in Slum Rehousing Act (SRA). And by now everybody has become familiar with the ineffectiveness of SRA in fulfilling its ostensible objectives. SRA needs to be thoroughly overhauled," he said.

"Where is the adequate provision for water supply for taking care of seven million slum-dwellers and three million chawl-dwellers in the city? If and when the government succeeds in rehousing these slum-dwellers, the water supply situation in the city would become nightmarish. Also, no builder-oriented measure will ever succeed in ending the slum problem," he said.

The ills of the city were not beyond cure, if only the government cared to implement the wholesome recommendations made in the past by the likes of Tinaikar Committee and Godbole Committee, he said.

According to Mr Arvind Adarkar, also an architect, Mumbai's population was soaring at the rate of about seven to eight lakh people per year, requiring 1.5 lakh dwelling units every year to accommodate them. As against this, only about 35,000 to 40,000 houses were being built in the city each year.

The occasion was an interactive session on "Mumbai Development", organised jointly by Indian Merchants' Chamber and Pan IIT alumni here on Tuesday.

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