It said a reservation of 10-15% will curb ghettoisation and promote cosmopolitan living. The commission also feels this is necessary, as housing in certain areas of the city is out of bounds for members.
As the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) organises a draw today to select allottees for its new 4,034 tenements out of nearly 1.6 lakh applicants, minority groups have demanded reservation of some flats for them.
The state minorities commission has written to the chief minister to introduce a quota for religious minorities in government housing.
The commission has said that the reservation can be made under the ‘Prime Minister's New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities’, which requires all government departments to allocate 15% of its budget and programmes for projects that will benefit minority groups. The commission has suggested reservation of 10 to 15% of the tenements for minorities.
The commission feels this is necessary, as housing in certain areas of the city is out of bounds for members of some religious groups. “It is the government's job to promote cosmopolitan living in the face of increasing ghettoisation,” said Dr Abraham Mathai, vice-chairman of the commission.
Already, 49% of Mhada flats are reserved for members of scheduled caste and tribe groups, artists, ex-army employees and other categories. Member of the Mhada board and MLA Krishna Hedge said that since half of the flats are set aside for certain groups, it will not be possible to increase reservations. “But it is possible to include a 2 to 3% quota for religious minorities in the existing 50% reservation,” said Hegde.
The commission has also asked for a quota for the East Indian community who live in the city's gaothans or villages. The community, who constitutes the oldest inhabitants of the city, faces a peculiar problem since their gaothans do not come under the city development plan and they cannot expand or repair their homes without attracting punitive action from the municipal corporation.
This is not the first time that religious minorities have asked for a quota in government housing. In April 2010, the Mumbai regional board of Mhada passed a resolution asking for reservation for religious minorities.
Mubarak Khan, a member of the Mhada board who raised the issue then, said, “The Sachar and Ranganath Mishra commissions have said that the social and economic development of Muslims is worse than the scheduled castes and tribes. When there are reservations for these groups in Mhada housing, why should Muslims and other religious minorities not get a quota?” he asked.
“The Mhada board can only recommend a quota. The government has to take the final call,” said Hegde.
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