The petitioners have sought a direction to SRA as an interim relief to provide residents with alternate accommodation till the completion of the project or payment of Rs 17,500 per month as transit rent with a 10 per cent annual increase in amount. (Representational Image)

The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) informed the Bombay High Court on Tuesday that 13 slum rehabilitation schemes in the city are stalled and nearly 1,500 slum-dwellers are yet to be rehabilitated after realty firm Housing Development Infrastructure Limited (HDIL) was declared insolvent.

The affidavit filed by SRA stated that slum rehabilitation schemes to be executed by HDIL were affected as it failed to pay regular rent in lieu of transit accommodation to the eligible slum-dwellers. “Even there is a possibility of unpaid dues like land premium, deferment payment, maintenance deposit, regularisation charges, MRTP charges etc under various schemes. Even the slum rehabilitation scheme for rehabilitation of affected people of airport project are affected,” the affidavit stated.

A division bench of Justices S C Dharmadhikari and R I Chagla was hearing a plea filed by 32 slum-dwellers of Bharat Nagar in Bandra, claiming HDIL was not completing the project and had also stopped giving them transit rent.

The petitioners in their plea had said that they initially received transit rent from HDIL, which was stopped later. SRA officials did not take action against the realty firm despite several complaints since April 2018, petitioners said.

The petitioners have sought a direction to SRA as an interim relief to provide residents with alternate accommodation till the completion of the project or payment of Rs 17,500 per month as transit rent with a 10 per cent annual increase in amount.

Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni for SRA told the court that insolvency proceedings had been initiated against HDIL and an Insolvency Resolution Professional had been appointed by the National Company Law Tribunal.

Kumbhakoni said in majority of slum rehabilitation projects work has not begun and therefore the authority has issued showcause notices for termination.