Airport slums: Provide proper rehab or pay the oustees: HC
The Bombay High Court on Friday asked the Maharashtra government to clear the air on its priorities in rehabilitating Project Affected Persons (PAP). The court asked the government to clarify if the security of the airport’s wall was more important than the Tansa pipeline, which provides water to lakhs of Mumbaikars.
A division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Riyaz Chagla also asked the government to pay compensation to the project affected persons of Tansa pipeline, if it fails to provide appropriate alternate rehabilitation.
The judges were hearing a batch of petitions on the rehabilitation of slums around the Tansa pipeline. Some of the petitions have been filed by the slum dwellers, who have claimed that the government was ‘forcing’ them to live in Mahul near Chembur. They have sought an alternate location for their rehabilitation.
In an earlier hearing, the judges had directed the government to file an affidavit spelling out the locations, where these slum dwellers could be rehabilitated. Pursuant to the orders, the government in its affidavit filed on Friday claimed that these slum dwellers can be rehabilitated in Mahul since several other PAPs are to be rehabilitated at other locations. The government cited the case of PAPs near the Airport, where slums were being demolished.
Irked over this, the judges said, “What is your priority? The security outside the airport wall or that of a pipeline which caters to the needs of lakhs of citizens. File an affidavit clarifying your stand on this.”
On its stand that the slum dwellers near Tansa pipeline can only be rehabilitated in Mahul, Justice Oka said, “If this is the stand of the government, then in such circumstances we can pass only one order asking the government to pay an appropriate amount to each person so that they can purchase a house at their preferred location.”
“We want the government to clarify its stand on this also,” the judges said while posting the matter for further hearing in July.
The slums near Tansa pipeline have been demolished following the HC’s order, which cited ‘security’ reasons. Since then, the issue of rehabilitation of these slum dwellers is pending.