Govt acquires land for housing mill workers

After decades of threats, the state government on Tuesday acquired 5,060 square metres of land from Prakash Cotton Mills in Lower Parel to build houses for former mill workers. Minister of state for housing Sachin Ahir on Tuesday took possession of the land from Dilip Jalan, who owned the now defunct Prakash Cotton Mills.

As per the government’s formula the land on all the mills that have shut down be divided three ways, with the state government, mill owner and mill workers getting an equal share. While the owners were free to depose their share as they wished, on the workers’ part of the land, houses were to be built for them.

On the 5,060 square metres acquired, the Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (Mhada) will build over 580 houses for the mill workers and 188 transit camps. The transit camps provide temporary residences to workers while their permanent houses are being built.

Ahir today warned other mill owners to part with the government and workers’ share of their respective mills. “We have given them one month time starting now, failing which, the government will have to forcibly take over the land,” he declared.

The others who are yet to hand over the mill workers’share of land are Ruby Mills, Century Mills, Bombay Dyeing, Srinivas and Matulya.

This move comes after mill workers had taken out a massive rally a couple of months ago demanding free housing from the state government. However, the state government had said it was in no position to provide free housing in south-central Mumbai, where the majority of the mills were located, and has now demanded that the mill owners go by the earlier agreement of a three-way split as a way out of the conundrum.