SRA projects under Crime branch scanner

Housing ministry promises for robust action against the irregularities in SRA projects

Mumbai: The forthcoming SRA Saibaba Nagar project developing at Saat Rasta in south central Mumbai is the fresh example of limbo and incompetency of Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) officials.
The common permission given in the form of an affidavit by promoters of the slum-dwellers’ society to SRA has been dated August 26, 2005 on the stamp paper that was issued six days later in the market and was sold on September 5, 2005. “How can the date of execution of an affidavit be before the issuing date of the stamp paper,” a senior housing department official asked, adding, “SRA officials have gleefully turned a blind eye to the discrepancy and accepted the affidavit. It is a serious breach of law.”
“Rarely typographical mistake dobe by poor, illiterate slum-dwellers who has prepared the draft and submitted it to the SRA officials. On August 26, 2005 with the mutual common permission draft has been prepared and drafted by the slum-dwellers. Lokhandwala said that “draft was printed on stamp paper purchased on September 5, 2005. The slum-dwellers overlooked the alteration of date on the draft letter from August 26 to September 5.”
He further added that “this issue has been raised by the opposition after seven years only to defame our image in the market and to rotten our projects.”
Now Crime branch has started sleuth in the violations of the SRA projects irregularities, and have written to SRA officials for rechecking the submitted documents and to take some robust actions against the irregularities.