People's Democracy

CPI(M) MP Writes On Relocation of Land To Slum Dwellers

The following is the text of the letter written by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and MP, Sitaram Yechury to Shri Praful Patel, minister of state of for civil aviation on March 21, 2007, regarding memorandum submitted by Mumbai Vimalitar Zopadpatti Bachao Sanghursh samiti.

YOU will recall the earlier discussion we have had on the issue of relocation of land to the slum dwellers. You will also recollect that when some of these lands were given to private hoteliers to establish luxury hotels many of the slum dwellers were relocated on the same lands in multi-storey buildings constructed by the hoteliers. Our late friend and colleague in the house, Shri Lalit Suri had also done that.

May I request you to personally intervene to ensure that these nearly four lakhs of people living in this area are relocated on these lands itself on the same pattern.

Text of the Memorandum: 

You must be aware that Mumbai International Airport Ltd., owned by G V K Power and Infrastructure Ltd., has decided to develop Mumbai International Airport. It is learnt that the proposed development shall be carried out by evicting / relocating the existing slum dwellers on Airport land far away.

There are about 80 thousand structures, used for residential and other purposes including commercial. The concerned land area is about 275 hectares. The existing structures are there since last many years. The place of occupation/employment/self employment/profession of large majority of the dwellers, which includes a large number of female domestic servants also, is in the nearby area or on the Airport land itself. Therefore, evicting them on one pretext or the other without providing any alternative or relocating them at far away locations will create many new problems for them such as loss of means of livelihood/loss of shelter etc. Therefore, it will be just and proper that the Airport Development Plans are designed in such a way that the existing dwellings/other premises are rehabilitated/relocated on the Airport land itself. Already a number of five Star and Seven Star hotels are located on the Airport land. These hotels have come up during last four five years. We urge that the proposed development should not hurt the existing slum dwellers.

Mumbai Vimaantal Zopadpatti Bachao Sanghursh Samiti has been organised by the concerned slum dwellers to espouse their cause.

We request you to get justice for the Airport land slum dwellers and their family members, a weaker section of the society.