THANE: The ambitious move of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to build homes for the urban poor on occupied land belonging to the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) at Wagle Estate has met with cold response from the state-owned corporation. Even after two months of the proposal being sent to them, the MIDC officials have refrained from giving any response to the civic proposal.
"We had sent our proposal to the MIDC long back. It is still lying with the MIDC and we have not received any word of acceptance or rejection from them so far," KD Lala, the City Engineer (CE) informed Thane Plus. The official further added that the TMC had drawn up plans to construct more homes on the MIDC land should the state owned corporation accept the present proposal.
The present proposal involves the building of around 10,000 homes on roughly 50 acres of land belonging to the state corporation in the industrial belt of Wagle Estate. The plot if a part of the 100 acre plot occupied by slum dwellers over the years thanks to the negligence of the MIDC as well as the TMC. There is hardly any open space left in the MIDC land now. The occupants of the 100 acre plot would be adjusted in the 10,000 homes to be erected on 50 acre plot.
The TMC had proposed to invest around Rs 550 crore in the mega housing project under the Basic Services for the urban Poor (BSUP) project. The project has the block approval of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Renewal Mission (JNNURM) of the central government. The approval entitled the TMC for grant of 50 percent from the centre and 30 percent from the state government.
The civic administration proposed to provide free homes to the occupying slum dwellers in the buildings erected on the roughly 50 acre plot of MIDC land under the BSUP. The surplus BSUP homes were to be given to the Project Affected Persons (PAPs) of various past and upcoming civic and state projects within the TMC jurisdiction.
The TMC wanted to acquire the remaining 50 acres vacated plot for various other purposes like health and recreation as well as social infrastructure for the benefit of the 10000 home owners. The corporation also offered to pay the MIDC for acquiring the 100 acre plot as per current land prices provided it was ready to hand over the plot to the TMC for the purpose.
The General Body (GB) House of February this year gave its block approval to the mega housing project following a lengthy debate on the floor of the house. The proposal was then sent to the MIDC for its consideration in May this year but its reply is still awaited.
Interestingly the civic administration has also drawn up plans to provide another 15000 homes on the MIDC land in the industrial belt in the coming months should the current proposal be accepted by the state owned corporation. The civic administration has decided to approach the JNNURM for its nod to the extra 15000 homes of the BSUP project as well. Together the 25000 homes proposal would cost the corporation more than Rs 1200 crore.
courtesy:www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
