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Politicking prolongs slum siege at airport

A political turf war coupled with unclear land records is holding up the task of freeing Mumbai’s airport land from slums.

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MUMBAI: A political turf war coupled with unclear land records is holding up the task of freeing Mumbai’s airport land from slums.

Little progress has been made in the two-phased removal of some 58,000 tenements spread over 234 acres in 31 slum pockets since an agreement was signed by the GVK-led consortium and the MMRDA two months ago.

Sensing an opportunity to muscle in on Congress turf, the BJP is opposing the removal of slums between the Vakola police station and Centaur hotel. State BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde told DNA, “No runway or terminal is planned on this land.

So why move these slum-dwellers far way?” Tawde said GVK wants to build a five-star hotel and office space on the land. “If a hotel is planned, these people can be re-housed under the slum scheme,” he said.

“If prime location is offered for cargo and foreign airlines offices, why can’t the poor, who work as domestic helpers, be rehabilitated under government schemes?”

But Sanjay Reddy, GVK’s vice-president, dismissed the charge saying the consortium has no plan to build a hotel.

“We review the survey status constantly,” he said, “and I have confidence that all roadblocks will be sorted out by October, when our master plan will be ready.”

Architect Mukesh Mehta, whose firm, MM Consultants, is conducting a survey of hutments in the area, was also optimistic.

“We are working closely with city survey officials to demarcate the point where airport land blends with city land,” he said. “We are close to clearing key areas around the airport.”

The slums are to be moved to a 55-acre plot along the Dahisar link road. That is making the politicians uneasy. Congress MLA Kripashankar Singh accused the BJP of politicking.

“Locals stopped survey officials out of anxiety as two surveys were already done by the collector and the MMRDA,” he said. “I’m planning to meet GVK officials on August 6. Till then I have told the residents to set up house committees.”

Singh said he favours development but is opposed to rehabilitation in Dahisar. “We must look for an alternative in areas like Santa Cruz,” he said.

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