The Bombay High Court has been instructed by the Supreme Court to carry out a performance audit of the Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act of 1971, which is a crucial step towards addressing the issues faced by the law. This follows persistent doubts regarding the legislation’s effectiveness, especially with regard to its ability to alleviate the housing situation in the state’s slum districts.
The Bombay High Court began suo motu proceedings on August 15 in order to evaluate the efficacy of the 1971 Act. A special division bench headed by Justice Girish S. Kulkarni has been appointed by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya to investigate this matter. To better understand the issues at hand, the bench will begin its work by getting feedback from statutory authorities, government officials, and other stakeholders.
The Supreme Court became involved in this issue because Yash Developers, a real estate company, has been struggling to complete its Borivali slum redevelopment project on time. Permission to build a slum was obtained in 2003; however, over twenty years of obstacles caused the project to fail, and in 2021 the Apex Grievance Redressal Committee cancelled it. This case illustrates the difficulties of redeveloping slums as well as more general problems that impact the 1971 Act’s implementation.
There is increasing pressure on politicians and local authorities to solve these shortcomings. Civil society organizations are pressing the government to investigate alternate slum redevelopment approaches in addition to reviewing the current legislation. Public-private partnerships that emphasize openness and community involvement may be among them. Additionally, fresh, equitable, and efficient strategies may be informed by the lessons acquired from the successful urban redevelopment programs in other states.
All eyes will be on how the system takes into account stakeholder input as the Bombay High Court starts its review process, and whether any adjustments can be made to make the law work better. For the millions of people who continue to live in difficult circumstances in Mumbai and other metropolitan areas of Maharashtra, it is imperative that the current concerns are addressed.
Source: Prop News Time
