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HC orders performance audit of 1971 Slum Act, seeks roadmap for slum-free Mumbai
The Bombay High Court directed the state government to set up an expert committee within four weeks to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance & Redevelopment) Act, 1971. The order stems from a suo motu petition linked to a Supreme Court directive in July 2024 to review the Act's implementation, amid thousands of pending cases and extensive slum occupancy. The committee must include senior urban development officials, planning representatives, architects, and public members to map a path toward a slum-free Mumbai and safeguard public lands.
Why It Matters
The order seeks to ensure the Slum Areas Act functions as intended, address land encroachment risks, and establish governance mechanisms to protect scarce public land in Mumbai while advancing town planning objectives.
Timeline
2 Events
HC orders performance audit of the 1971 Slum Act and road-map for slum-free Mumbai
May 8, 2026
The Bombay High Court, in a suo motu petition, directed the state government to set up an expert committee within four weeks to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance & Redevelopment) Act, 1971. The committee should comprise senior urban development bureaucrats, a representative from the directorate of town planning, independent architects, and public representatives with specialized knowledge in town planning. The court highlighted alarming disputes arising from the implementation of the slum scheme, the absence of a policy to protect lands from encroachments, and the lack of deterrent measures, noting public land scarcity in Mumbai and the need to safeguard it. It referenced that approximately 875.97 acres of land in the city are occupied by slums and around 12 million people live in slums, per BMC and SRA data. It urged strict action against officials guilty of dereliction of duty and invoked a line from the CID song: Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan, zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan.
Supreme Court orders Bombay High Court to review implementation of Maharashtra Slum Areas Act
July 2024
In July 2024, a bench of the Supreme Court directed the Bombay High Court to conduct a suo motu review of the Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance & Redevelopment) Act, 1971 to ensure the law operates in practice as intended and to identify reasons for any shortcomings. The court noted that 1,612 cases under the Act were pending before the Bombay High Court, including 135 cases over 10 years old.