Slum Bombay: Marine Drive Night Shots and Interview with Advocate P A Sebastian (Ralli Jacob, Rafeeq Ellias, P.K. Das)

Slum Bombay: Marine Drive Night Shots and Interview with Advocate P A Sebastian

Director: Ralli Jacob, Rafeeq Ellias, P.K. Das; Cinematographer: Rafeeq Ellias

Duration: 00:18:29; Aspect Ratio: 1.366:1; Hue: 22.276; Saturation: 0.247; Lightness: 0.111; Volume: 0.037; Cuts per Minute: 1.892; Words per Minute: 34.820

Advocate P A Sebastian talks about the Foreshore Co-operative Housing Society, alledging it to be a scam under which Judges got land in conviviance of the politicians and also argues for a critique of the Transferable Development Rights (TDR).

Blank

Mid shot of Marine Drive left to right pan of sea and buildings
Mid shot of Marine Drive left to right pan of sea and buildings

Mid shot of Marine Drive left to right and right to left pan of sunset, sea and buildings

Mid shot of Marine Drive left to right and right to left pan of sunset, sea and buildings 2

Mid shot of Marine Drive left to right and right to left pan of sunset, sea and buildings 3

Night shot of Marine Drive cars passes

Interview of PA Sebastian

PA Sebastian: The Foreshore Co-operative Housing Society under which they constructed the Samata Society is a telling example of how the influential, the powerful corner the land in the city where the price of the land is as high as the cities of New York city, or Tokyo. Some judges of the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court used their connections with politicians like Sharad Pawar and Antulay and bought three plots of lands which had been reserved otherwise for housing the dis-housed. It was a disgraceful act, there is injustice in it; there is unfairness in it.

PA Sebastian: The Foreshore Co-operative Housing Society under which they constructed the Samata Society is a telling example of how the powerful, the influential, corner the land in the city of Bombay. Some judges of the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court used their nexus with politicians like Sharad Pawar and Antulay and cornered the land which had been otherwise reserved for housing the dis-housed. It was a disgraceful act, there is injustice in it; and there is unfairness in it.

PA Sebastian: This land was given at such a low price that it had nothing to do with the market price. Even the people who stay in slums could have afforded it provided that they knew about it and an opportunity was given to them.

PA Sebastian: The government has a statutory to place the new DC Rules (Development Control Regulations) before the Legislative Assembly but it was not placed before the Legislative Assembly, the representatives of the people were not given an opportunity to discuss it, to debate it and to pass it. It was done most un-democratically. One of the most important features of the DC Rules is that it has raised the FSI from 1.33 or 1 to 2.50. It has been done in the name of slum dwellers, the claim is that it will enable the developers, the builders; the owners of the land to accommodate them but actually the people who stay in the slums only need an FSI of 1. The builder or the people who constructs the building there and accommodate the people in the slum get a surplus of 1.50 which they can sell in open market. The normal cost of construction is Rs. 300 but the market price today is Rs 1200.

redo previous

PA Sebastian: The decision of the government and the municipal corporation to introduce Transferable Development Rights certificates is a part of the privatisation program which otherwise the government follows not only in this sphere, but in all spheres.

PA Sebastian: Now there will be TDR's (Transferred Development Rights certificates) for crores of rupees in the city of Bombay which we can negotiate in the open market and they will sort of negate the power of the government to issue currency notes. It amounts to an issue of currency notes which a state government and municipal corporation can't do. The only authority which can issue certificate or negotiable instruments is the central government. And its totally unconstitutional.

[[Off camera. nahin nahin. its very complicated.]]

PA Sebastian: The introduction of TDR enables the government to separate FSI from the land and to issue them in the form of Transfer of Development Rights certificates. This will amount to the formation of a parallel economy. It will ultimately undermine the planning itself because the FSI can be taken from one place to another... and in a place where the FSI is 1.33 or 1, a builder can construct with the help of additional FSI which he gets from another place say a building of 2.55.

PA Sebastian: The TDR being an instrument which can be negotiated in the open market - the only authority which had power to introduce it was Indian parliament. Either Maharashtra Legislative Assembly or the Bombay Municipal Corporation had no power to issue transfer of development rights as it has been done.

Pad.ma requires JavaScript.