One of the key hurdles for any infrastructure project is the resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) of project affected people (PAP). Mumbai Metro 3, the city’s only underground line, is no different in this aspect. For Maya Patole, General Manager (R&R), Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), this makes it the toughest project in terms of the variety of PAP involved.
The MMRC, led by Managing Director Ashwini Bhide, besides tackling slum clusters across the city, had to deal with residents, a majority of them tenants, in Kalbadevi and Girgaon; industrial PAPs in Marol; police staff quarters in Marol; and even offices of political parties near Mantralaya.
“R&R process in this project has been tougher than the ones I have encountered earlier because of the variety of PAPs. There were different issues with each area,” said Ms Patole.
Ms. Patole says that the Kalbadevi and Girgaon was probably the toughest among them as it took a lot of convincing the residents. “South Mumbai has never interfaced with large infrastructure projects. In Girgaon-Kalbadevi they were housed in legally-owned buildings. The couldn’t digest the fact that they would have to leave their homes and their buildings would be demolished,” she says. For Ms. Patole it is important to always communicate and have options open to successfully conduct R&R for any project.
Ms. Bhide says it helps that R&R officers are women as interaction with the ladies in affected households is more free. At some level there is a shared experience between the team and the PAP. “It is important to hear the issues raised by everyone, including the women. And I think having women officers helming the R&R helped because they were heard attentively and sensitively. The whole team got tuned to the process,” she says.
The nine-member R&R team, ably led by Ms. Patole, has managed to completed 95% of the scope of work.
Ms Bhide says R&R is an essential part of the process. “Each project has a social side to which you need to be very sensitive to. While the city needs the infrastructure, the individual who is getting affected needs time,” she adds.
She added that spending a little more time in R&R is also crucial to avoid litigation. “As a general rule, one must follow all procedures because PAPs have certain rights which need to be honoured. But most of the times people approach courts because they don’t know things. 90% of litigation is caused due to lack of information Hence it is crucial to be consultative as it makes the project more inclusive, which is why even at the cost of spending more time, consultation is a must,” she said.
