Rehab hopes float for Digha families

There could be some respite for the residents of unauthorised buildings in Digha, which the Bombay high court has ordered to be demolished.

Local corporators Navin Gavte and Aparna Gavte met chief mi n i s t e r D eve n d r a F a d n av i s on F r i d ay and appealed that he should intervene in the matter.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) cor porators were accompanied by guardian minister Eknath Shinde, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA M a n d a M h at r e, a n d N av i Mumbai Municipal Corporation opposition leader Vijay Chougule; but no NCP leader was present.

Mhatre said, “The high court has said that if the state government has any plans for these unauthorised constructions, then the state government should submit the details to the court.”

She said, “The residents of the area are in the lurch. They ploughed their life savings into the illegal structures. We must save them from becoming homeless.”

Mhatre said, “So we explained to the chief minister the situation in which the residents are trapped. All of us appealed to the chief minister to formulate a concrete policy on the issue and also inform the court about it.”

Mhatre said, “The chief minister gave us a positive response and we are confident that the crisis will be resolved satisfactorily. We hope there will be a rehabilitation plan and the government will also ask the court to give some time for its implementation, and, till then, that it will stay its demolition order.”

Chougule said, “It was a very fruitful meeting and the Gavtes were assured of positive action.”

The Gavtes were not available for comment.