Bombay High Court Directs SRA To Appoint Nodal Officer To Address Slum Dwellers’ Grievances Regarding Non-Payment Of Transit Rent

The Bombay High Court directed the Slum Rehabilitation Authority to establish a Nodal Officer to call for complaints from slum dwellers who have not been paid transit rent during redevelopment of their premises.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Arif S Doctor directed the SRA to ensure that slum dwellers don’t need to approach the court for payment of transit rent.

“the SRA should set up a Nodal Officer and call for representations/ complaints from the co-operative societies of the slum dwellers if they have grievance of non-payment of transit rent. The SRA should give wide publicity to this initiative, will provide a designated telephone number to the said Nodal Officer and email address. The publicity be given in the newspapers and the social media. The co-operative societies of the slum dwellers can then submit their representations/ complaints with necessary particulars to the SRA and thereupon the SRA can proceed to take necessary action. The SRA can indicate the action taken as against such representations/ complaints on their portal”, the court directed.

The court was dealing with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) highlighting the non-payment of transit rent to eligible slum dwellers by the developers. The court emphasized the need for proactive measures to be taken by the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) to ensure the timely payment of transit rent to the eligible individuals. The SRA, being a statutory authority entrusted with the task of orderly slum redevelopment, must ensure that transit rent is duly paid to the eligible individuals, it said.

The court pointed out the seriousness of the implications faced by slum dwellers when transit rent is not paid on time. To prevent the surge of litigations arising from non-payment of dues, the SRA has been instructed to establish a Nodal Officer and encourage cooperative societies of slum dwellers to submit representations or complaints related to non-payment of transit rent. The SRA must widely publicize this initiative through newspapers and social media, providing designated contact details for the Nodal Officer, court ordered.

The court directed the SRA to take these steps before the next court date i.e., August 9, 2023, and provide an additional affidavit apprising the court of the actions taken.

Case no. – Public Interest Litigation No. 109 of 2019

Case Title – Vijendra Kumar Rai v. State of Maharashtra and Ors.

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