Brihanmumbai Niwara Abhiyan wants the govt to allot land to it for building low-cost houses
MUMBAI: An NGO in Mumbai has collected over Rs 100 crore as token money from over one lakh home-seekers in the metropolis to pay for land costs to the state government.
The NGO, Brihanmumbai Niwara Abhiyan, proposes to get constructed one lakh houses for the lower and middle income groups in the megapolis.
We are fighting for the rights of homeless and are making efforts to get land from the government for the purpose, NGOs president Mrinal Gore said.
We do not want free houses, but we are fighting with the government to allot land to the common man, he said, adding that each member has deposited Rs 10,000 individually in their name, thus chances of misusing funds is remote.
Over 4,000 societies each with over 30 members have been formed and they will decide the layout and design of the buildings once the land is allotted by the government, Gore said.
Even the state-owned Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has also showed its inclination to construct two lakh houses in various parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Raigad district, a top MHADA official said.
Gore, along with the Left and Janata Dal(S), have been opposing the governments plan to scrap the Urban Land Ceiling Act (ULCA) in the winter session of the Assembly.
The NGO has already constructed over 6,000 flats in a 60 acre plot in suburban Dindoshi for lower and middle income groups a couple of years back.
According to NGOs founder member P B Samant, A common man cannot buy a house in this metro with the unbelievable price rise. There is 30,000 acres of excess land, of which 17,000 acres is controlled by 338 individuals or trusts, he said.
The government acquired 1,200 acres of land under the ULCA till December, 2006, and it has told the Bombay High Court that by this year end they will acquire the remaining 17,000 acres of land, Samant said.
Even if the government charges the ongoing lowest slab rate at about Rs 1,000 per sq ft of open land, they can easily fetch over Rs 1,00,000 crore, which can help the state to come out of the red, he added. PTI
Brihanmumbai Niwara Abhiyan president Mrinal Gore
Publication:Mumbai Mirror ; Date:Oct 22, 2007; Section:City; Page Number:8
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