Burbie Austrian aims for a slum-free city
Anjali Donna Rego chats with Adolf Tragler and knows about his plans for the city
Bandra resident Adolf Tragler has one goal in mind — to live in a slum-free city. Keeping this motto in mind, Tragler started the Slum Rehabilitation Society (SRS) in 1972.
Tragler, born and raised in Austria, had wished to study in a foreign country. He had many options in mind but settled for India after having visited the country along with a missionary group. In 1962, he set foot in India. Here he completed his Bachelors of Arts from Fergusson College in Pune and then came to Mumbai to complete his Masters in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Today he is an Indian citizen.
“The first time I came to Mumbai, I was shocked to see the plight of slum dwellers and then I decided that I had to do something for them,” said the 70-year-old. SRS targets individuals and families, who have been forced to live in slums due to the absence of affordable housing facilities.
“We think of what can be done on the land that they are already occupying. In cases where the slum dwellers are occupying land reserved for open spaces, we try to relocate them to the nearest place available,” informed Tragler. SRS normally meets slum dwellers and helps them form an association and elect representatives from among themselves, who could approach builders to rehabilitate them.
According to the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) guidelines, a slum can be rehabilitated only with the consent of 70 per cent occupants. If the land is a private land, the no objection certificate has to be obtained from the owner of the land to apply for its acquisition.
SRS adopted a slum in Mahalaxmi and each family from the slum contributed Rs 25,000 and collected a total of Rs 40 lakh. Seeing the level of commitment, HDFC Bank sanctioned a loan of Rs 1 crore for the project.
“When people pay for their house only then they will realise the value of it,” said Tragler. “We encourage slum dwellers to develop the land they are already occupying to reap maximum benefits from the land. Getting a builder to do it often benefits the builder more than the slum dwellers,” he added. This was the first major project approved by the SRA where residents themselves financed their own housing rather than depending on builders.
Tragler lives with his wife and can speak fluent Hindi and Marathi.