Mumbai: Colonies housing migrant population who travelled to Maharashtra after Partition will now have the rights to redevelop their properties or sell them without permission from the State government.
The State Cabinet on Tuesday approved a change to the property card of these properties to class I, giving them the freehold status and authorising the residents to sell, redevelop, or rent their properties without the collector’s nod. Among the population that will be largely benefited are Sindhi and Punjabi communities.
Until now, for any change in ownership, residents not only have to take permission from the collector, but they also have to pay 50% of the unearned money (this is the difference between the sale price and purchase price) to the government as a transfer fee. “It had stopped development in these areas as no real estate deals were brokered since this was not economically beneficial,” a revenue department official said.
Maharashtra has 31 refugee colonies. The one in Ulhasnagar is already under the cluster development scheme. While Tuesday’s decision will be applicable to the entire state, the regime in 2006 and 2008 had taken a similar decision only for the refugee colonies in Dhule and Jalgaon districts. The government initiative will impact over 5,000 families in Mumbai. Chembur Colony, Wadia Trust Estate in Kurla, Thakkar Bappa Colony in Chembur, Koliwada colony in Sion, and Mulund Colony and Kopri Colony in Thane are categorised as refugee colonies.
The refugees were given land through compensation pool since they had left all their belongings in Pakistan and chosen to stay in India. “Today’s decision is more of giving them their dues,” the official said, adding that the refugee camps - as they are known - will not remain so following the move.
