MUMBAI: Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Development and Housing Minister Eknath Shinde, in a written reply, said that so far 98, 619 textile mill workers have become eligible for homes in Mumbai as per the special campaign conducted by the state-run Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) and labour department.
He said this while responding to a question raised by NCP legislator Rohit Pawar and others in the state Assembly.
DyCM Shinde further stated that the government issued a government resolution on March 15, 2024, for making available homes to the workers from closed and sick textile mills from Mumbai in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The government has assured that homes in the MMR region will not only be affordable but will also be equipped with essential facilities to ensure a dignified living for mill workers.
He said that so far, 15, 870 homes have been distributed to textile mill workers -- 6, 925 in 2012; 2, 634 in 2016; 2, 417 in 2016, and 3, 894 in 2020.
He said that two developers have been selected after the expression of interest was issued, following the consent of the high-power committee for the construction of homes. The online forms are being filled up by the textile mill workers from June 16 for homes, and so far, 2, 094 textile mill workers have submitted online applications.
The Deputy CM said the urban development department has initiated a process for the redevelopment of 11 chawls situated on the lands of nine mills of National Textile Corporation.
Earlier, Dy CM Shinde announced that one lakh homes will be constructed for mill workers. He instructed the officials that in order to implement the ambitious ‘Houses for All’ scheme, the state’s new housing policy should focus on affordable, sustainable and environmental-friendly houses. He instructed the officials to prepare a detailed policy within a month so that citizens could easily benefit from the schemes of MHADA and the housing department and speed up the stalled redevelopment projects in the city.