Maharashtra govt allows SRA to survey all slums in Mumbai and Thane

The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has been authorised to survey all slums in Mumbai and Thane by the Maharashtra government after six years of geographic information system (GIS) mapping. The SRA will now appoint officers for various zones across the city to carry out the survey and issue eligibility certificates to slum dwellers for free housing, as per a gazette notification issued last Thursday. The Dharavi redevelopment project (DRP) has failed to take off in 17 years despite being declared a vital infrastructure project, a slum survey will be conducted afresh in Dharavi also. SRA chief executive officer Satish Lokhande, said bringing the survey of all slums under the SRA ambit will decrease delay. He further added that a complete data map would be available online to ensure there is no manipulation. The SRA has written to electricity distribution companies (discoms) to give bills issued to hutment dwellers. He said that in 2015, GIS mapping of slum clusters was carried out. Now the authority has designated four agencies that will go door-to-door, record each hut, each inhabitant of the hut, collect details of Aadhaar, and voter ID cards. He said that the SRA should link all the details for each hutment dweller, which will help us put data in one place, making it easy to issue annexure II. Annexure-II is an essential document that lists the slum dweller's names, who are qualified for free housing. The collector’s office or the local Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) ward prepares this after the slum redevelopment scheme announcement normally. Only the SRA will prepare annexure II for all slums now, to avoid these conflicts. The data will be uploaded, on an auto annexure for anyone to download. Once the data is ready, we shall invite objections or suggestions from the public to correct any irregularities, said Lokhande. The exercise will start across the island city and suburbs simultaneously next month. Image Source Also read: Long pending SRA project of CoEP to get nod from SRA, Pune civic body Also read: BDD chawl redevelopment: Maha Govt ensures no one becomes homeless