Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has said that separate norms are needed for Slum Rehabilitation Scheme in the State in general and for Mumbai and surrounding areas in particular.

Chavan was addressing a meeting to hand over tenements for more than 300 beneficiaries at Dombivili of Kalyan-Dombivili civic limits on Tuesday.

Taking stock of the work done since he took over, Chavan said his Government was making every attempt to make the State free of slums and efforts from all will go a long way in achieving this target.

He also said the condition in Maharashtra and other States differed and hence the Centre should have different norms for the State when it comes to planning such programmes. The Chief Minister added that the cost of land and construction is different in Mumbai which should also be considered while planning ahead.

Unlike the rehabilitation of slums in regular land, the rehabilitation of slums in Government-owned land is a different issue and needs to be dealt with separately, he noted. In certain countries, a single order is sufficient to evict slum residents. The democratic style of functioning makes the case different in India, he said.

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