Residents in Govandi demand clarity on slum survey amid fears of eviction and misuse of data | File Photo
Mumbai: Govandi residents have raised concerns over the ongoing survey of slums in the area, alleging lack of transparency in the purpose for which the data is being collected.
Residents have written to the M-East municipal ward office and the Slum Rehabilitation Authority, asking for details on the survey’s legal mandate, objective, and the role of third-party agencies involved in the data collection.
Following panic among residents, local MLA Abu Azmi has asked them to cooperate with the surveyors, saying that the data is being collected by SRA as part of a city-wide exercise to verify the legal status of the slums.
Last week, surveyors from a private agency faced opposition from residents in Deonar, Sanjay Nagar, and Shakti Nagar, plots 13 to 19, Baiganwadi, and Govandi West. The Govandi Citizens Welfare Forum said that notices from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation that were affixed on public walls lacked clarity on the purpose of the survey.
“This selective and incomplete disclosure has led to widespread confusion, distrust, and fear among the residents,” said Shaikh Faiyaz Alam, convenor and founder, Govandi Citizens Welfare Forum.
Residents have asked Azmi to issue a letter confirming that the current survey is not linked to forced eviction or redevelopment without public approval. They have also asked for a public hearing and assurance that families will not be marked ineligible or displaced without proper verification, documentation support, and community consultation.
Azmi said that the survey is part of the citywide study by the SRA to document slums. “This is for creating records of legal and illegal slums. Citizens are expected to give details,” Azmi told this newspaper. “However, they should not sign any document that involves transfer of property to the SRA or private companies.”
Residents said that the Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar area is one of the largest slum pockets in the city after Dharavi. Community groups have asked residents to be cautious and ensure that their personal details are not misused. Nafees Ansari, another resident, said that the residents have not been taken into confidence before the survey was done.
“There is no transparency in the purpose for which the survey is being done. There were no notifications. Some residents cooperated; others did not. The surveyors affixed numbers on tenements that were locked,” said Ansari.
Azmi said the residents’ scepticism is not unwarranted. “People are worried about losing their land to the SRA and private companies. However, I have asked them not to panic. The persons conducting the survey were from private companies that were chosen for the work through government tenders,” Azmi added.
