With only 81 of the total 586 notified slums being rehabilitated under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme in last 17 years, the Maharashtra government declared that it would soon finalise and publish the new rules for slum rehabilitation for Pune that would speed up rehabilitation of the slum rehabilitation in the city.
The pending decision on the new rules for slum rehabilitation was raised by city BJP legislator Madhuri Misal in the ongoing session of the state legislative Assembly in Nagpur. In response to the issue, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Friday said that the new rules would be finalised and published soon which would speed up the slum rehabilitation projects in the city.
Fadnavis said, “There are around two and half lakh tenements in the slums of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. The draft of the new rules considering the changed scenario and the local needs have been prepared and submitted to the state government. The public hearing is complete and the final draft is ready with the state government.”
As per the new rules, the consent of 51 per cent slumdwellers would be sufficient for implementing the rehabilitation scheme as against the past condition of minimum consent of 70 per cent slumdwellers. The tenement size would also be increased and four Floor Space Index would be given to the developer and the maximum height of the building would be allowed to be 50 metre as against the existing 40 metre. The SRA would complete the process of a scheme for rehabilitation of slums in government land.
Earlier, Misal said that 40 per cent of the population in her Parvati Assembly constituency lives in slums and it’s the same in entire Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad but the speed of rehabilitation is very slow. “It is necessary to speedily undertake the rehabilitation of slumdwellers,” she said while pointing out that the projects are not coming up due to rules pending with the state government for approval.