SRA re-examines proposal

The Slum Redevelopment Authority (SRA) is re-examining a contested proposal to declare more than 3 acres of prime land in Worlikoliwada village as a slum, a precursor to allowing towers to come up here through a rehabilitation project. The historic fishing village which nests at the edge of the seafront boasts of a history which goes back centuries. It’s part of the seven islands that formed Mumbai and is home to its original settlers: the kolis, agris and bhandaris. The SRA began conducting hearings on the issue on Friday after the Bombay high court asked it to decide on the proposal which originated in 2015. TOI had reported about the issue on November 12, 2015, pointing out that the area was not a slum according to the municipality. The 3.74 acre area has a development potential of several thousand of crores. The land is owned by private holders and the BMC. Court rulings in the past have upheld the hereditary rights of the original inhabitants to the “waras” or common land, once used by the fishing community here for their trade. The proposal for an SRA project was floated by the Waraslane Cooperative Society in 2015, representing a section of locals. However, the BMC strongly opposed it, saying the area was not a census slum and had pre-1936 chawls. The BMC’s masterplan also showed 138 open civic plots in the area. It also said that the structures there did not fit the BMC’s definition of a slum. Declaring the area a slum would be against the interests of both the slumdwellers and the BMC, it said. Koliwadas or fishing villages also come under the Coastal Regulation Zone III where construction is restricted. However, the state government is yet to demarcate the boundaries of koliwadas in the city. As a result, the specific location of the koliwadas is not yet clear. After conducting public hearings in 2015, thenSRA chief Aseem Gupta had sent a recommendation to the state housing department, asking it to consider a comprehensive development of the area which would accommodate the original settlers, tenants, land-owners and encroachers, who had built hutments prior to 2000. However, he also said that since the area was dense with narrow roads and could pose a hazard to locals, the slum scheme option could be reconsidered after six months. The housing department reverted in February 2016 saying that the SRA chief executive officer was empowered to decide on whether to declare an area a slum. With no final decision since then, the Waraslane Cooperative Society approached the Bombay high court asking for a verdict. The SRA then issued notices on November 21 calling for a hearing. Many locals including the kolis and East Indian community continue to oppose the scheme. “We are opposing this. We are land-owners, not slumdwellers. The BMC has already said this is not a slum. We have been living here for centuries and have hereditary rights on this land,” says ShashikantParkar from the WorligaonKalyankariJagrutManch.