Mumbai: A day after the railway ministry stayed the demolition of slums along the Kurla-Trombay railway line, citing safety and operational concerns, a group of activists and political leaders met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and sought permanent rehabilitation of the slumdwellers.Led by NCP leader Haji Mudassar Patel, the delegation on Wednesday told Fadnavis that 3,762 huts that have been identified as encroachments along the Kurla-Trombay railway line house thousands of poor families and they should not be rendered homeless before they are provided permanent homes. “The residents are anxious and the situation in the settlements is really tense. We have requested the chief minister to initiate the process of giving permanent rehabilitation to these people according to the government norms,” said Patel, who was among the politicians who has petitioned Union railway minister Ashwani Vaishnaw, seeking a stay on the demolition which was scheduled to start on Feb 10, and was later rescheduled to Feb 16.Patel said office-bearers of Adarsh Foundation and Indira Nagar Vikas Mandal, representing the slumdwellers, had expressed concern after they received the notice. The stay, added Patel, is a temporary relief, not permanent solution.
