Mulund residents take to streets to protest against BMC’s plan to relocate PAPs in their locality
In the midst of the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, the BMC in 2019 planned to build tenements for PAPs. Accordingly, a list was prepared which indicated that approximately 35,000 tenements would be required.
Several Mulund residents on Sunday took to the streets with placards to protest against the BMC’s decision to relocate Project Affected Persons (PAPs) in their area. Reportedly, 349 flats are being built in Mulund East near Kelkar College to rehabilitate PAPs.
Recently, BMC’s scheme of procuring residential tenements from open market and its contracts for construction of 13,971 tenements for project affected persons (PAPs) in the city was challenged in a public interest litigation (PIL) before the Bombay High Court.
In the midst of the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, the BMC in 2019 planned to build tenements for PAPs and accordingly a list was prepared indicating that approximately 35,000 tenements would be required.
The plea contends that the corporation has several plots for PAP rehabilitation throughout the city.
But, more than 210,000 PAP tenements were being put up.
In March last year, the BMC issued letters of acceptance for four PAP camps at Mulund East, Chandivali, Prabhadevi and Bhandup.
These contain 7,439, 4,000, 529 and 1,903 tenements each. Further, the BMC floated tenders to purchase these tenements from the builders at market rate.
The plea highlights that the BMC will purchase these tenements from the builders, who have already been offered transferable development rights (TDR) [permission to build and sell property elsewhere in lieu of the surrendered area to the BMC.
Also, they are permitted to use floor space index (FSI) of 5.4. This means that the total built-up area of buildings can be 5.4 times the plot size.
In addition, the builders are granted exemption from payment of government premium for the additional FSI.
The plea alleges that in accordance to the existing contracts, the corporation will pay TDR and credit notes worth Rs8,302 crore to contractors and the builders will reap profits to the tune of Rs6,330 crore.
News Edit K.V.Raman
