BJP seeks bigger floor area for poor Mumbai tenants.

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to the rescue of tenants living in dilapidated buildingsAaon TuesdayAaby demanding a higher floor area for their flats when their homes are pulled down to make way for high-rises.

When the Supreme Court gave a green signal early this month to the government's plan for the demolition of over 19,000 old and crumbling buildings in Mumbai to allow redevelopment, it was described as a step that would not only change the face of Mumbai but would turn into a huge bonanza for builders and developers.

For the majority of tenants living in small one room 100-120 sq ft area tenements in these buildings, the government decided that the developer provide them with 300 sq ft area flats rather than the stipulated 225 sq ft area.

"If the builders are going to make huge profits in redevelopment projects on land where the dilapidated buildings stood, why can't the poor tenants who lived here for several decades also get a small share of this pie," Atul Shah, BJP spokesman for Mumbai and ex-MLA from South Mumbai, told Gulf News.

"That is why we are demanding 500 sq ft flats for the tenants."

Right

After all, if the builder can enjoy the advantage of getting a floor space index of four and five under the government policy, allowing him to build high-rises and sell the flats at a roaring profit, "we believe that tenants too should enjoy the right to a home with a hall, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom," Shah argued.

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