The Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Rahul Narwekar, on Thursday asked the state government to examine the possibility of accommodating tenants residing on the first floors of slum structures under Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) schemes, noting that ignoring them during the demolition of ground-floor units could lead to the creation of new shanty sprawls, defeating the government’s goal of a slum-free Mumbai.

Upper-level obstacle

Members of the Legislative Assembly said that unless the existing SRA policy is revised, the issue of upper floors in slum structures could become a hurdle in the redevelopment of several projects where many slum dwellings have additional floors constructed above the ground-floor units. The members demanded a change in housing policy to address this issue.