Bombay High Court asks BMC to identify land for sanitation workers’ housing

The Bombay High Court has given the BMC until September 9 to identify municipal properties that could be used for permanent ownership housing for its sanitation workers.

Justices Girish Kulkarni and Neela Gokhale issued the direction on August 31 while hearing three petitions filed by the Akhil Bharatiya Safai Kamgar and General Union and two sanitation workers. The bench rejected a recent affidavit by the municipal commissioner, saying it was vague and inconsistent with its earlier directions.

The court noted that a Maharashtra government policy introduced in October 2008 was intended to provide ownership homes to municipal sanitation staff, but said the BMC had not allocated land for the purpose. It asked the corporation to provide a comprehensive account of its properties, including their occupancy and suitability for housing.

The BMC has previously said it oversees thousands of leasehold lands, tenanted properties and amenity plots. The court said it could appoint an independent committee to inspect municipal land if the civic body does not provide full details in its new affidavit.