More than 3500 slum dwellers assemble outside the Collector Office, Bandra to raise the issues of their constitutional and human rights.

· MMRDA agrees to demand of slum dwellers and reduces the land required for Metro Car Shed Depot from 46 hectares to 6 hectares only.

· If decision not taken till 8th March, slum dwellers to start in-definite action- dharna.

Today, more than 3500 slum dwellers assembled outside the Collector Office Bandra under the leader ship of Medha Tai Patkar along with the local MLA & Municipal Corporator to demand for their constitutional and human rights which included declaration of 20 settlements as slum as per section 4 of the Maharashtra Slum Areas Act 1971 and provision of basic amenities like water, sanitation, street light, dispensary etc in these slums. Issues related to regularization of slums as per provisions of Maharashtra Land Revenue Code 1966 as against the allotment of land to all the 5 star hotels in Mumbai suburb at throw away prices were also raised. Collector Shri Vishwas Patil has ordered the surveying of the 20 slums that were present during the dharna and initiation of the process of slum declaration. While the recent Human Development Index Report by Mumbai Municipal Corporation has brought out the fact that more than 60 lakh people are forced to stay on not more than 6% of the total land in Mumbai, the issue was raised of such in-equitous land distribution patterns in Mumbai which is the direct result of the Real Estate nexus operating in Mumbai.

The Collector Office has also given an order to investigate the matters related to the land scam being committed in the name of rehabilitating slum dwellers by the builder Shivalikh Ventures who is developing a Special Township at Golibar while leading to gross violations of the residents and encroaching over the land owned by Defence department.

The delegation also met Smt Ashwini Bhide, joint Metropolitan Commissioner-MMRDA who informed that out of the proposed acquisition of 46 hectares of land at Laljipada, Kandivali only 6 hectares would be acquired as per the revised plan. The Andolan has welcomed the decision as it will safeguard the rights of more than 20,000 families who earlier were to be displaced for Metro.

It was conveyed to Collector that if action is not taken by 8th March in-definite action dharna will be initiated.

Santosh Thorat Nasreen Bano Dataram Tandel Sumit Wajale Simpreet Singh