Slums built before 2011 in Maharashtra to be protected, eligible residents assured rehabilitation | Mumbai News
2 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jul 9, 2026 09:01 PM IST
The Maharashtra government will protect all slum dwellings built before January 1, 2011, on government or forest lands owned by various central and state government agencies, with eligible residents to be rehabilitated.
Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule made the announcement in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
“No eligible resident living in a slum before January 1, 2011, will be rendered homeless. The government is fully committed to protecting their housing rights,” the minister said.
Bawankule said many such settlements cannot be regularised at their existing locations because of Development Control Regulations, environmentally sensitive zones and forest protection norms, making rehabilitation the only viable option.
A statewide biometric and physical survey of all eligible residents, including those in Mumbai and its suburbs, would be completed within the next three months, the minister said.
He said the policy has already received Cabinet approval from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and that its implementation has begun on a “war footing” across the state.
The minister said a high-level committee headed by the Konkan Divisional Commissioner has been constituted to address rehabilitation issues in Mumbai city, Mumbai suburbs and the Konkan region, where large numbers of slums have come up on mangrove, forest, revenue, nazul and CIDCO lands. The committee includes the Collectors of Mumbai city and Mumbai suburban districts and has already begun the survey process.
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The government will prepare a comprehensive master plan within three months after completing the surveys. The plan will identify residents who cannot be accommodated at their existing locations and provide for their rehabilitation in MHADA, CIDCO, Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) or other government housing projects.
Taking note of suggestions made by legislators, the government has decided to undertake both biometric and physical verification to identify eligible beneficiaries, Bawankule said.
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