Ahead of polls, Maha extends slum regularisation cut-off date to 2000

Mumbai: With the 2014 Lok Sabha elections approaching, Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to regularise the slums upto the year 2000, extending the earlier cut-off date by five years.  The decision is expected to benefit nearly 3.75 lakh illegal shanties in Mumbai as the government is planning to amend the Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act with immediate effect, a senior minister told PTI tonight. The decision of extending the cut-off date to regularise the slums was taken amid mounting pressure from the elected representatives from Mumbai ahead of the elections. The cabinet also approved the Rs 23,000-crore underground Mumbai metro phase-III project. The 33.5 km underground Metro Rail-III project will connect Colaba in south Mumbai to Bandra, the airport and finally the MIDC SEEPZ, in the suburbs. Also, after homoeopathy, the state government has decided to allow ayurvedic and unani doctors to practise the allopathy. The cabinet also approved the proposed amendment in Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act to give legal framework to the 80,000 practising Ayurvedic doctors in the state. PTI