Mill workers lose out

Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh’s October 25 decision to give a floor space index of four to build houses for mill workers has left them stranded, as not all will benefit from it.

According to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), 10,000 workers will get houses through a lottery system. However, Mhada wants a guarantee of cost returns.

“Our role is specific. We will construct buildings as transit camps to house tenants from cessed buildings in South Mumbai. We will not build houses for mill workers,” said Mhada CEO Nirmal Kumar Deshmukh.

Another Mhada Mumbai board member added that the cost of construction was to be decided by the government before handing over possession to the workers. “The issue is stuck as there is confusion about who will take over the housing societies once they are formed. We are clear that the houses will not be given free as it is prime land. We will incur the cost to construct them,” said the member. According to the Maharashtra government’s rule, workers on muster rolls as on January 1, 2000, should be given houses; an estimated one lakh of them.

But mill worker unions are divided over the issue. The Girni Kamgar Sangarsh Samiti believes 10,000 houses is a good start.However, the Girni Kamgar, Karmachari Niwas and Kalian Sangh said they would prevent officials from undertaking any activity in Girangaon.

“The government has legalised the illegal construction of residential houses in Ulhasnagar. They can tell mill owners to pull down mill structures and the land can be divided accordingly. As they seem to have started loving Mahatma Gandhi, we will show them the real Gandhi. Our agitation will continue,” said Sangh secretary BK Amre.