Experts are expressing concerns over a potential policy change that would make first-floor slum dwellers eligible for slum rehabilitation schemes. Without strong regulation, this change could lead to a surge in the construction of new first-floor slum tenements. Builders may benefit from selling almost double the area with only a marginal increase in costs. The policy alteration, expected to be released before the upcoming BMC elections, aims to boost stalled Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects. While the intention is to provide housing for the urban poor, there is a risk that the scheme could inadvertently promote slum development.
With the state government likely to release a government resolution (GR) in the near future, conceding to the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) demand to make first-floor slum dwellers eligible for slum rehabilitation schemes, experts are expressing concerns that without strong regulation, this policy change could result in a surge in the construction of new first-floor slum tenements.
Experts also predict that this decision will be a windfall for builders, as they will be able to sell almost double the area as part of their sales component, with only a marginal increase in costs.
The timing of this change in the slum rehabilitation policy is noteworthy, as it comes just before the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. The policy alteration is expected to give a much-needed boost to several Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects that have been stalled. According to estimates, approximately 50% to 60% of slum units in the city have first-floor tenements. However, slum redevelopers are concerned about the lack of clarity regarding the eligibility criteria for these first-floor tenements.
Former BJP corporator Vinod Mishra, who recently met with Deputy Chief Minister and Housing Minister Devendra Fadnavis, expressed his support for making first-floor slum dwellers eligible for homes under the Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana. Mishra clarified that the aim is not to encourage more slums but to fight for the housing rights of residents of Janu Bhoye Nagar in Malad (E), who have been demanding homes for the past 12 years.
While this move may appear to be a populist strategy to legitimize the tenements of people residing on the first floor of slums, there is a significant risk that it may inadvertently encourage the construction of vertical illegal tenements, which could then be regularized. Although the state's intention may be to provide housing for the urban poor, there is a possibility that this scheme could ultimately become a promotion scheme for slum development.
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