Mumbai:
In a move to appease voters before the Lok Sabha polls and state elections, the Congress-led Maharashtra government has reportedly approved a proposal to regularize illegal slums that mushroomed in Mumbai between 1995 and 2000, sources in the government have confirmed to NDTV. The move is likely to benefit 4.5 lakh households and about 15 lakh slum dwellers.
The controversial decision comes even as the matter is pending before the Supreme Court. Sources say there was intense pressure on Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan from his cabinet colleagues to approve the proposal. Officially though the government says it was one of the party's poll promises in the 2009 elections. Party leaders also insist that the move would ensure a slum-free Mumbai.
But what worries some is the court's ire. In a landmark judgement in 2006, the Bombay High court had set the cut-off date as January 1, 1995 and had slammed the government saying, "The answer to encroachment on public lands is not legalising further encroachment...no nation, no state or the rule of law can survive if illegalities are continuously legalised in the guise of social obligation. The state which has a constitutional duty to protect all the citizens cannot wear the mantle of Robinhood, by depriving the tax payer of his right by protecting and rewarding law breakers."
This judgement had been stayed by the Supreme Court and the matter is still pending. To steer clear of any legal complications, the government is likely to extend the pre-election dole through a Bill. The cabinet decision, sources confirmed, will be announced in the on-going Assembly session.
The cut off dates have been repeatedly advanced since 1975. First the Congress pushed it to 1980 and then 1985, then the Shiv Sena-BJP regime advanced it by 10 years.
The government also announced in the Assembly on Thursday that free medicines will be available to all, irrespective of their income status, at all government-run hospitals in the state. Less than a month ago, the government also cut electricity tariffs across Maharashtra, except in Mumbai.