MUMBAI: Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said his government will look into how it can provide houses to every mill worker, while lauding their contribution towards the 'Samyukta Maharashtra' movement.
Thackeray also made an appeal to mill workers that they should not sell the houses allotted to them and shift out of Mumbai.
He was speaking at a lucky draw function for allotment of 3,894 houses to mill workers and their legal heirs, organised by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) at its headquarters in suburban Bandra.
"Call me for tea once the new house is allotted to you. Stay happily in your houses. Don't sell these houses and shift out of Mumbai, losing right over it," Thackeray said while addressing the mill workers.
"The government will figure out how to provide houses to every mill worker, as they have contributed to the 'Samyukta Maharashtra' movement (movement for a united state in 1950s)," the chief minister said.
The MHADA has built 3,894 houses for mill workers on lands of the Bombay Dyeing, Spring Mill and Shrinivas Mill in central Mumbai.
On the occasion, Maharashtra Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad said the state government has taken a policy decision to provide houses to those who worked in city-based mills, which are now defunct.
Hence, MHADA has built 720 and 2,630 houses at the Wadala-based land of Bombay Dyeing and Spring Mill, respectively.
Another 544 houses have been built on the land of Shrinivas Mill in Lower Parel.
Awhad said the 225 sqft one-BHK (bedroom-hall-kitchen) houses built under the housing project are equipped with modern amenities, and are also located in one of the upmarket areas in the city.
Total 1,74,036 mill workers or their legal heirs have applied for these houses.
Awhad said a 15-storey parking lot was also built on the Bombay Dyeing Mill land at Wadala, considering the future need of the city.