But the one that is likely to cause much consternation among developers is the Centre’s insistence that private companies undertaking any redevelopment of koliwadas (fishing villages) within 100 m of the coastline will come under the purview of the Right to Information Act (RTI).
This is also seen as a move the government’s part to protect its interests, given that it will now be mandatory for the state to partner with builders in redeveloping slums and hold a minimum stake of 51%. The announcement was made by Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh at a press conference on Saturday.
The public-private partnership has been made mandatory for CRZ slum redevelopment projects. With regards to cessed, old and dilapidated buildings, tenants or owners will be given the freedom to develop the project but they will be subjected to regular and simultaneous audits. "This will keep the builder lobby on a tight leash. To ensure transparency , the SRA CRZ has been brought under the RTI purview. The CAG audit system will keep the entire exercise accountable and transparent," said Ramesh. This is the first time where a private company can be scrutinized under RTI.
The environment minister, however , admitted that going by past instances, one cannot guarantee that the new regulations will not be violated. "CRZ 1991 rules were amended 25 times. Despite that the law was misused. At the same time, one cannot stop making new rules just because of the past," said a cautious Ramesh, adding that the safeguards have been introduced to prevent ‘occurrences’ such as the Adarsh Housing Society scam where environment rules were blatantly violated.
The environment minister admitted that the slum redevelopment scheme’s past track record is not good. Original slum dwellers or tenants were evicted, and were not the beneficiaries of the scheme, said Ramesh.
"This should not happen and it is the responsibility of the state government to ensure effective implementation of the scheme. A long, pragmatic and practical view of CRZ was needed and that has been provided. I hope it works," he said.