Will Slumbai enjoy any of the facial?

Mumbai: It may take a long time coming Mumbai-wards, but the first adult step, worth Rs1,270 crore up from last year’s baby step of Rs150 crore, has been taken by the finance minister.

Nomenclatured Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), the scheme gets a 700% hike in allocation in the country’s effort to be slum-free. Mumbai — the slum capital of India — is waiting impatiently for the largesse.

Though the benefits may not come the city’s way soon,Gautam Chaterjee, vice chairman and chief operating officer of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), showed excitement about the development. “This is a revolutionary decision by the Centre. Though Mumbai may not get immediate benefit from the decision, this definitely is a first realistic approach towards making it slum free,” Chaterjee toldDNA.

He added, “I feel certain cities will be chosen for pilot projects under RAY for eradication of slums. Pimpri-Chinchwad may be one of the cities in Maharashtra. One must understand that though Mumbai is not on the radar directly at the moment, RAY will definitely have a stipulated time-bound plan for the city.”