Mumbai,May 27: : The Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) led by Kripashankar Singh will bear the cost of the two Mhada tenements to be allotted to Slumdog Millionaire child stars-Mohammed Azharuddin and Rubina Qureshi. Each tenement has a carpet area of 180 sq ft and costs Rs 3 lakh.
The decision was taken in New Delhi. Speaking to TOI, Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh said, “I requested CM Ashok Chavan to expedite the process of allotting houses to these actors.
However, Chavan wanted to know who would bear the expenditure. It was then that I offered to do so on behalf of the Mumbai Congress.”
Meanwhile, Amarjit Singh Manhas, who is the treasurer of the Mumbai Congress as well as the chief of Mhada’s Mumbai board, said the children would be granted homes under the EWS(economically weaker section) category.
“EWS tenements are being constructed in Malwani, Ghatkopar and Sion. The families will have to choose among these locations,” Manhas said. However, Mohammed Ismail and Rafiq Qureshi, parents of Azhar and Rubina, are unwilling to move from their present location in Bandra.
Both Ismail and Qureshi have urged Mhada to make the allotment in their names rather than their children. Manhas said that several checks would be put into place to ensure that the allotment is not misused. “A flat can be issued to a minor by appointing a guardian,” Manhas said. “Mhada laws disallow the guardian from transferring the flat to any other person.”
–Agencies