Minister of state for higher and technical education and housing, Ravindra Waikar, rapped the Mumbai University (MU) administration for encroachment on the varsity land despite having the enough security measures.
He also directed the housing department to immediately start the survey of hutments so that people living there can be rehabilitated. This has provided a breather to the slum-dwellers in Mumbai University’s Kalina campus area.
A special meeting to discuss the problems of slum-dwellers in Valmiki Nagar was held in the cabin of Waikar. The encroachment on university land started in the year 1998 and these hutments were demolished with the help of police in the year 2007. These hutments again sprang up there. The High Court has directed that the SRA scheme cannot be implemented on this land which belongs to the university, informed MU registrar Dr M.A. Khan.
As rehabilitation of slum-dwellers is required to be done, the minister issued orders for their survey. The state government will decide how and where to rehabilitate these encroachers and a proposal in this regard would soon be put up before the government, said Waikar.
The minister also directed the concerned departments to act against the officer held responsible for the encroachment on Mumbai University land. The said officer may face suspension of his duties.