Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan in the Legislative Council on Friday announced an insurance cover of `5 lakh for families of those who die in house collapse mishaps as a result of living in cessed structures in Mumbai. Cessed buildings are the old, dilapidated buildings, the residents of which pay tax (cess) to the government for maintenance and repair.
He said that a Government Resolution has been issued for this. “There are 14,190 cessed buildings in the city. Over 15 lakh people will benefit from this insurance scheme,” he added, replying to the resolution moved by the Opposition in the Legislative Council last week.
In addition to the insurance cover, the CM informed the House that the budget for the Maharashtra Repair Board has been doubled. “The budget for the repair board is being increased by `100 crore.” The total budget for the repair board now stands at `200 crore.
The CM also said that to generate more revenue, the state government had modified some rules and regulations on land lease, floor space index (FSI), public parking policy, etc, which resulted in a revenue between `1,500 crore and `2,000 crore. The state last month only announced a FSI of 3 for dilapidated structures predating 1969. The move is expected to provide a major boost to the redevelopment plans of such properties.
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COUNCIL DEMANDS ACTION AGAINST RANE OVER TWEET
Mumbai, Aug. 2: Swabhimaan Sanghatana chief Nitesh Rane’s controversial tweet over Gujarati populace living in the metropolis on Friday landed him in trouble with the Maharashtra Legislative Council asking the state government to initiate action against him as it may create “social discord”.
Raising the issue in the Upper House, Ashish Shelar (BJP) said, “It (statement) would create religious and social conflict in the metropolis. The statement is derogatory towards Mr Modi and the Gujarati-speaking people.”
“Veg skies, Veg hospitals, Veg housing societies..soon Veg Mumbai! Either Gujjus go back to Gujarat or they turn Mumbai into Gujarat...Red alert,” Nitesh, son of senior Congress leader Narayan Rane, tweeted on Wednesday. Later, defending himself, Nitesh told reporters, “They live and earn their livelihood in this city, but praise Mr Modi and Gujarat’s development model. Such people should leave Mumbai and move to Gujarat.”
“When people from various caste and creed are living with harmony, Nitesh’s statement is polluting the social atmosphere,” Mr Shelar said, adding, “The state should take this issue seriously and action should be taken against him. It should also make its stand clear.”
Responding to this, Chairman Shivajirao Deshmukh asked senior NCP minister Ganesh Naik to convey the matter to the government and initiate action accordingly. —PTI