Slum Rehabilitation Dispute? RTI to the SRA or Housing Board

Sunita and her husband Rajesh have lived in a single-room hutment in a Mumbai island-city slum since 1998. Their name is on the electoral roll of the ward, the ration card lists the hut address, and a faded electricity bill from 2003 is still taped to the wall. In early 2026 a notice is pasted on the hut: the cluster has been declared a Slum Rehabilitation Area, a developer has been appointed, and residents are told to move into transit camps within thirty days.

When the eligibility roster is finally pinned outside the SRA division office, Sunita's household is missing. A neighbour who moved in around 2008 is listed. The developer's representative shrugs. The transit rent of Rs.12,000 a month that was promised has not been paid for four months. No one gives a reason in writing. The hut is photographed and measured, but no copy of the survey sheet is handed over.

This is not one family's bad luck. Across Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu, the same pattern repeats — a pre-cut-off family is dropped from the roster, a post-cut-off family is included, and the only way to find out why is to force the authority to put its records on the table. The Right to Information Act, 2005 is the cleanest tool for that. This guide walks you through exactly what to ask, which authority to ask, and what the verified rules are as they stand in 2026.

Slum rehabilitation in India is not a single central scheme. It is a patchwork of state statutes, run by state-level authorities, loosely converged with the central Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana — Urban 2.0 (PMAY-U 2.0) mission of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Knowing which layer holds which record is the whole game.

Maharashtra governs slums through the Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971 (Mah. Act XXVIII of 1971; President's assent 3 August 1971; amended in 1996, 2001, 2014 and 2018). The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) is a body corporate constituted under Section 3A of the Act, with a Chairman, a Chief Executive Officer and fourteen members. Section 3B defines the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme; Section 3C deals with declaration of a Slum Rehabilitation Area; Section 3E imposes a ten-year lock-in on transfer of allotted tenements; Section 3Y governs photo-pass issuance; Section 3Z-1 allows demolition of structures built after 1 January 2000 on a 24-hour show-cause notice; and Section 35 provides appeals to a Grievance Redressal Committee.

The Maharashtra cut-off dates are decisive. A structure existing on or before 1 January 2000 qualifies its occupier as a “protected occupier” entitled to free rehabilitation with a photo-pass. A structure existing on or before 1 January 2011 — the cut-off inserted by Maharashtra Act 38 of 2018 — qualifies for paid rehabilitation under Section 3B(5)(f) for non-protected occupiers. Anything built after 1 January 2000 is liable to demolition without rehabilitation.

Delhi works under the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board Act, 2010, which establishes DUSIB. Section 10 of that Act deals with removal and resettlement of jhuggi jhopri (JJ) bastis — it requires a scheme to be prepared, the land-owner and the resettlee to share cost, and prior Central Government consent where the basti sits on Central land. The operative policy is the Delhi Slum and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015, approved at DUSIB's 16th Board meeting on 11 April 2016, cleared by Cabinet as Decision No. 2384 on 8 July 2016, modified vide Decision No. 2482 on 20 June 2017, and finally approved by the Lieutenant Governor. It supersedes all earlier guidelines.

Delhi's eligibility cut-offs are equally precise. A JJ basti in existence before 1 January 2006 cannot be removed without alternate housing; an individual jhuggi existing before 1 January 2015 cannot be demolished without alternate housing (this supersedes the old 4 June 2009 cut-off). In-situ rehabilitation is the normal rule; relocation is allowed only on a court order, or where the land is needed for a road, railway, park or urgent public project, and even then within a 5 km radius (beyond 5 km only with Board approval). The beneficiary contribution is Rs.1,12,000 per dwelling unit of 25 sqm carpet area plus Rs.30,000 towards five-year maintenance, with a leasehold for ten years followed by freehold, allotment in the joint name of husband and wife, and cancellation on subletting.

Tamil Nadu governs slums through the Tamil Nadu Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act, 1971 (TN Act 11 of 1971). The old Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board was renamed the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) vide G.O.(Ms).No.103 of the Housing and Urban Development Department dated 1 September 2021, and the substitution was formalised by the Tamil Nadu Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Amendment Act, 2022 (Act 20 of 2022), which replaced “TNUHDB” in Section 2(a), Section 34 and the Chapter VIII heading.

At the central level, PMAY-Urban 2.0 is the live mission. The Union Cabinet approved it on 9 August 2024 for a five-year run from 1 September 2024 to 2029, targeting 1 crore urban families with a total investment of Rs.10 lakh crore and central assistance of Rs.2.30 lakh crore. Its verticals include Beneficiary-Led Construction (BLC), Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP) including in-situ slum redevelopment, Affordable Rental Housing, and an Interest Subsidy of 4% on the first Rs.8 lakh of a loan up to Rs.25 lakh, capped at a maximum subsidy of Rs.1.80 lakh. Aadhaar is mandatory, there is a five-year lock-in, and female head or joint ownership is the default. JNNURM, which older documents still cite, has been wound down — PMAY-U 2.0 is the current central convergence point.

Understanding the flow tells you which record to demand at which stage.

1. Survey and declaration. The state authority conducts a door-to-door (and increasingly biometric/Aadhaar-linked) survey of the slum, then declares it a Slum Rehabilitation Area under the relevant section — Section 3C in Maharashtra, the equivalent provision under the DUSIB Act in Delhi. The survey sheet is the foundation document; every later eligibility decision is traced back to it.
2. Eligibility classification. Each household is classified as protected occupier, paid-rehabilitation occupier, or ineligible, based on the cut-off date and the survey evidence. The result is the eligibility roster — a list that should, by law, be displayed publicly.
3. Developer appointment. In Maharashtra-style SRA projects, a developer is appointed through an Invitation of Application (IOA) and a Letter of Intent (LOI). The developer signs a development agreement with the cooperative society of slum dwellers, which sets the project timeline and the rehab-building specifications.
4. Transit and rehabilitation. Eligible families move to transit camps (or receive monthly transit rent) while the rehab buildings are constructed. On completion, permanent allotment letters are issued and the rehab cooperative society takes possession.
5. Allotment and lock-in. The allotment letter records the tenement number, carpet area, floor and building. A ten-year lock-in under Section 3E in Maharashtra, and similar provisions elsewhere, bars sale, transfer or mortgage of the tenement during the lock-in period.

Each of these stages generates a paper record, and every one of those records is obtainable under the RTI Act.

Two things changed in 2025-2026 that directly affect what you should ask for.

First, transit rent in Mumbai has been zoned and codified. The SRA now pays a zoned monthly transit rent — Rs.12,000 a month in Mumbai up to Bandra, Rs.10,000 a month from Bandra to Andheri and Ghatkopar, and Rs.8,000 a month in the extended suburbs and the rest of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The older figure of Rs.20,000 a month that some residents and even some lawyers still quote is not an official figure; the verified zoned amounts are what the SRA is bound to disburse.

Second, SRA Circular No. 231 dated 19 December 2025, read with an Office Order dated 8 January 2026, allows the SRA to freeze the sale component of a developer's flats at the IOA/LOI stage itself, to secure the three-year transit-rent liability. What this means in plain terms: a developer cannot sell, transfer, mortgage or register any flat in the sale building until the rehab buildings are completed, permanent allotment is done, and transit-rent dues are cleared. MAHARERA and the Inspector General of Registration and Controller of Stamps (IGR&CS) have been formally notified.

Third, a Maharashtra legislative amendment in July 2025 changed the Slum Areas Act in three ways. Unpaid transit rent is now treated as arrears of land revenue, recoverable under the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code; personal liability is fastened on directors or partners if the company's assets are insufficient; the window for a dissenting dweller to object has been cut from 120 days to 60 days; and land can be handed over to MMRDA, MHADA, MSRDC or CIDCO within 30 days of the LOI. These changes make transit-rent records even more valuable — they are now the legal basis for revenue-recovery action against a defaulting developer.

For Delhi, the live framework remains the 2015 Policy as amended in 2016 and 2017, with the cut-offs of 1 January 2006 (basti-level) and 1 January 2015 (jhuggi-level). There is no separately notified Delhi transit-rent figure — if a DUSIB file refers to one, treat it as unverified and ask for the exact notification.

You will usually file one application to the state authority that holds your file — the SRA division office, DUSIB, or TNUHDB — because slum rehabilitation is a state subject. A second, narrower application to MoHUA is useful only where PMAY-U 2.0 in-situ slum redevelopment funds are involved.

Step 1 — Identify the public authority.

1. Maharashtra: The Slum Rehabilitation Authority, division office (Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, Pune, Thane, Nashik, Nagpur, etc.). The SRA is the custodian of survey sheets, eligibility rosters, photo-passes, IOA/LOI files, developer agreements, transit-rent disbursement ledgers and allotment logs. The Municipal Corporation (BMC/MCGM etc.) holds the slum register and the base census; the State Urban Development Department holds policy and redevelopment approvals.
2. Delhi: The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) is the custodian. For Central-land clusters, the Central Government land-owning agency (CPWD, Railways, DDA) also holds relevant consent records.
3. Tamil Nadu: The Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB).
4. Central (only for PMAY-U 2.0 convergence): Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, for central release and mission-level records.

Step 2 — Prepare your questions. Ask for specific, dated records, not vague “details.” Six strong questions:

1. Survey sheet: “Furnish a certified copy of the door-to-door and biometric survey sheet covering hut number [X] in [slum name], ward [Y], surveyed on [date], including the photograph and the Aadhaar verification entry.”
2. Cut-off notification: “Furnish the cut-off-date notification applicable to [slum name], the date of its approval, and the name and designation of the approving officer.”
3. Eligibility roster: “Furnish the anonymised eligibility roster for [slum name] with household serial numbers, eligibility classification of each household, and the reason recorded against my household serial number [N].”
4. Allotment log: “Furnish the tenement-allotment log entry for my household — tenement number, carpet area, floor, building, and date of allotment — and every change made to it after the original survey.”
5. Developer agreement and timeline: “Furnish the development agreement, IOA, LOI and project timeline for the rehabilitation project at [slum name], including the date of handover of land to the developer.”
6. Transit rent: “Furnish my household's transit-rent disbursement history from [start date] to [date], the zoned rate applied, and the reason for any stoppage or shortfall.”

Step 3 — Use the right form and fee. Under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005, the application goes to the Public Information Officer of the chosen authority. The fee is Rs.10 for most states and for Central authorities, payable by Indian Postal Order, court-fee stamp, or cash against receipt; many states also accept online payment. BPL card-holders are exempt from the fee. See RTI for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know Before Filing Your for the step-by-step online filing process and RTI Fees by State and Online Portal Directory (2026) for state-wise fee and payment-mode details.

Step 4 — Submit and keep proof. File by hand and take a stamped receiving copy, or send by registered post and keep the acknowledgement, or file online and save the registration number. Proof of submission is your protection if the reply is delayed.

Step 5 — Wait 30 days. The PIO must reply within 30 days under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act (48 hours where life or liberty is at stake — relevant if a demolition is imminent). If no reply arrives, file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) within 30 days to the First Appellate Authority in the same department. If the FAA also fails, file a Second Appeal under Section 19(3) to the State Information Commission (or the Central Information Commission for MoHUA) within 90 days.

For the actual drafting, you can use the free AI RTI Draft App at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html — describe your problem in plain language and it produces a ready-to-file Section 6(1) application. To check whether a PIO reply is legally adequate, paste it into the PIO Reply Checker at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/pio-reply-checker-app.html . To compute your First Appeal and Second Appeal deadlines precisely, use the Timeline Calculator at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/timeline-calculator-app.html .

1. A photocopy of your ration card, voter ID, or Aadhaar showing the hut address.
2. Any pre-cut-off documentary proof — an old electricity bill, a voter-list extract, a property tax receipt, a school leaving certificate of a child listing the hut address.
3. A photograph of the hut with a visible date stamp or a contemporaneous newspaper.
4. The eviction or redevelopment notice, if served.
5. Any earlier survey slip or photo-pass issued to the household.
6. The BPL card, if you are claiming the fee waiver.
7. The Indian Postal Order or receipt for the Rs.10 fee.

1. Asking for the named allotment list. A named list of co-allottees is personal information and is routinely refused under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act. Ask instead for an anonymised roster with household serial numbers — aggregate eligibility rosters under a welfare scheme are mandatorily disclosable under Section 4(1)(b)(xii), and the Central Information Commission has so ordered (CIC order dated 16 March 2010, Entry 58 in the CIC compilation by IC Shailesh Gandhi, directed at the Department of Urban Development, GNCTD). Where a PIO refuses named details, Section 10 severability requires that the personal contact, Aadhaar and bank details be severed and the rest given.
2. Filing to the municipality when the SRA is the custodian. The BMC or MCD holds the slum register; the SRA or DUSIB holds the rehabilitation file. Filing at the wrong desk gets you a “no information” reply and burns 30 days.
3. Ignoring the cut-off-date notification. Every eligibility decision pivots on the cut-off date. If you do not ask for the notification and its approving officer, you cannot challenge a wrong classification.
4. Forgetting transit-rent records. Transit-rent ledgers are the cleanest evidence of developer default. After the July 2025 Maharashtra amendment, unpaid transit rent is recoverable as land-revenue arrears — the ledger is now a legally loaded document.
5. Missing the 60-day objection window. In Maharashtra, a dissenting dweller now has only 60 days (down from 120) to object. File the RTI early enough to use the record inside that window.
6. Using the old name “Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board.” It is now the TNUHDB. Address the PIO with the current name or your application may be misrouted.

To,
The Public Information Officer,
Slum Rehabilitation Authority / Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board /
Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board,
[Division / City Office, Address]

Subject: Application under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005,
regarding slum rehabilitation records for my household.

Sir/Madam,

I, [Name], son/daughter/wife of [Father's/Spouse's Name], resident of
[Hut Number, Slum/Basti Name, Ward, City], hereby submit the following
application under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Particulars of the slum and household:
  Slum / Basti name: ____________________
  Scheme / Project reference: ____________________
  Cut-off date claimed: ____________________
  Developer name (if redevelopment): ____________________
  Household survey ID / serial number (if known): ____________________

Information sought:

1. A certified copy of the door-to-door / biometric survey sheet covering
   my hut number, including the photograph and the Aadhaar verification entry.

2. The cut-off-date notification applicable to my slum, the date of its
   approval, and the name and designation of the approving officer.

3. The anonymised eligibility roster for my slum, with household serial
   numbers, eligibility classification, and the reason recorded against
   my household serial number.

4. The tenement-allotment log entry for my household — tenement number,
   carpet area, floor, building, date of allotment — and every change made
   after the original survey.

5. The development agreement, Invitation of Application, Letter of Intent
   and project timeline for the rehabilitation project at my slum.

6. My household's transit-rent disbursement history from [start date] to
   [date], the zoned rate applied, and the reason for any stoppage.

7. The Rehabilitation and Resettlement entitlement document applicable
   to my household.

8. Action-taken on grievance reference ____________________ raised by me.

9. If my eligibility was denied, the written ground of denial and the
   name and designation of the officer who recorded it.

10. The name, designation and address of the First Appellate Authority
    for this office.

I enclose Indian Postal Order No. ____________________ for Rs.10 towards
the application fee. I declare that I am a citizen of India.

Yours faithfully,

[Signature]
[Name]
[Date, Place]

No. The methodology, coverage and result of a slum survey are public records of a welfare scheme. Under Section 4(1)(b)(xii) of the RTI Act, beneficiary-related particulars of schemes must be disclosed suo motu. Only the personal contact details, Aadhaar number and bank details of *other* households are severable under Section 8(1)(j) read with Section 10. Your own household's survey sheet, with the personal details of others severed, must be given to you.

The verified zoned SRA transit rent is Rs.12,000 a month in Mumbai up to Bandra, Rs.10,000 a month from Bandra to Andheri and Ghatkopar, and Rs.8,000 a month in the extended suburbs and the rest of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The figure of Rs.20,000 a month that is sometimes quoted is not an official SRA figure. Ask for the zoned-rate notification and your disbursement ledger in your RTI.

A named allotment list with contact and identity details of other allottees is generally refused under Section 8(1)(j). The correct ask is an anonymised eligibility roster with household serial numbers — this is disclosable, and it lets you check whether your household is classified correctly relative to your neighbours.

There is no universal central norm. State policies set their own timelines — the Delhi Slum and JJ Policy, 2015 targets rehabilitation of all eligible JJ bastis within five years. Ask the PIO for the project timeline appended to the developer's agreement, the IOA/LOI, and any extension granted, with reasons. That is your enforceable schedule.

Ask for the show-cause notice issued to the developer, any re-tender records, the bank guarantee or performance security held by the authority, the latest progress report submitted by the developer, and the action-taken on complaints from the cooperative society. After the December 2025 SRA Circular No. 231, also ask whether the sale flats have been frozen at the IOA stage and the status of transit-rent recovery as land-revenue arrears.

In Maharashtra, structures built after 1 January 2000 are liable to demolition under Section 3Z-1 on a 24-hour show-cause notice, and are not entitled to free rehabilitation. Structures existing on or before 1 January 2011 may qualify for paid rehabilitation under Section 3B(5)(f). Ask for the survey evidence that dates your structure, and the notification under which your cluster's cut-off was fixed — the date the authority has on file for your hut is what decides your status.

RTI surfaces the record; it does not by itself change the decision. The challenge is filed before the Grievance Redressal Committee under Section 35 of the Maharashtra Slum Areas Act (or the equivalent state forum), and thereafter before the High Court or the National Human Rights Commission where a fundamental right to shelter is infringed. But the RTI-extracted paper — the survey sheet, the cut-off notification, the roster entry, the transit-rent ledger — is the evidence on which every downstream remedy rests.

Yes. In Chameli Singh v. State of U.P., (1996) 2 SCC 549, the Supreme Court held that the right to shelter is a fundamental right under Article 21, with an affirmative duty on the State to provide shelter to weaker sections. In Olga Tellis v. Bombay Municipal Corporation, (1985) 3 SCC 545, a five-judge bench held that the right to livelihood is part of the right to life and that eviction of pavement dwellers requires fair procedure. In Sudama Singh v. Government of Delhi, WP(C) No. 8904 of 2009, the Delhi High Court held on 11 February 2010 that excluding jhuggi dwellers from rehabilitation on the ground of “Right of Way” is unconstitutional and that rehabilitation must precede eviction — a position confirmed by the Supreme Court in Sudama Singh v. Deepak Mohan Spolia, Civil Appeal Nos. 21806-21807 of 2017, decided 12 December 2017.

If your family is vulnerable or a demolition is imminent, yes. File a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission or your State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, and send a written representation to the District Collector and the municipal ward office. The RTI gives you the record; the parallel complaint gives you the protective paper trail while the record is being extracted.

For Central authorities such as MoHUA, yes, through the Central RTI portal rtionline.gov.in. For state authorities, most states — including Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu — now accept online RTI through their respective state portals. See RTI for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know Before Filing Your for the step-by-step process and RTI Fees by State and Online Portal Directory (2026) for state-wise fee and payment-mode details.

1. Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971, as on 6 February 2026: [lj.maharashtra.gov.in](https://lj.maharashtra.gov.in/en/document/the-maharashtra-slum-areas-improvement-clearance-and-redevelopment-act-1971-text-as-on-6th-february-2026/)
2. SRA Pune — The Maharashtra Slum Areas Act, 1971 (full PDF): [srapune.gov.in](https://srapune.gov.in/Content/Documents/The%20Maharashtra%20Slum%20Areas%20Act,%201971,%20as%20applicable243227703.pdf)
3. Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board Act, 2010: [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/34350849/)
4. Delhi Slum and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015 (Part A, amended): [delhishelterboard.in](https://delhishelterboard.in/main/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Policy-Part-A-amended.pdf)
5. Delhi Slum and JJ Relocation Policy 2015 (Part 2): [delhishelterboard.in](http://delhishelterboard.in/main/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Relocation-Policy-2015-2.pdf)
6. Tamil Nadu Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act, 1971 (TN Act 11 of 1971): [indiacode.nic.in](https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/21369)
7. PIB — Cabinet approves PMAY-Urban 2.0 (9 August 2024; 1 crore families, Rs.10 lakh crore investment, Rs.2.30 lakh crore central assistance): [pib.gov.in](https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=2043924)
8. PMAY-U 2.0 Operational Guidelines (PDF): [pmay-urban.gov.in](https://pmay-urban.gov.in/uploads/guidelines/Operational-Guidelines-of-PMAY-U-2.pdf)
9. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs: [mohua.gov.in](https://mohua.gov.in)
10. Olga Tellis v. Bombay Municipal Corporation, (1985) 3 SCC 545: [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/709776)
11. Chameli Singh v. State of U.P., (1996) 2 SCC 549: [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/docfragment/18928039/)
12. Sudama Singh v. Government of Delhi, WP(C) No. 8904 of 2009 (Delhi HC, 11 February 2010): [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/39539866/)
13. Sudama Singh v. Deepak Mohan Spolia, Civil Appeal Nos. 21806-21807 of 2017 (SC, 12 December 2017): [api.sci.gov.in](https://api.sci.gov.in/supremecourt/2015/3437/3437_2015_Judgement_12-Dec-2017.pdf)
14. CIC order dated 16 March 2010 (Entry 58, IC Shailesh Gandhi) — suo motu disclosure of slum cluster survey and allotment lists under Section 4(1)(b): [delta.org.in](https://delta.org.in/form/cic_dec.pdf)
15. SRA Circular No. 231 dated 19 December 2025 and Office Order dated 8 January 2026 — freezing of developer sale flats to secure transit rent: [squarefeatindia.com](https://squarefeatindia.com/sra-tightens-grip-on-sale-flats-mandatory-freezing-at-ioa-stage-to-secure-transit-rent-and-slum-dwellers-rights/)
16. Maharashtra legislative amendment, July 2025 — transit rent as arrears of land revenue: [theprint.in](https://theprint.in/india-maharashtra-assembly-passes-bill-allowing-sra-to-recover-transit-rent-dues-from-developers/2685368/)
17. Central RTI online portal: [rtionline.gov.in](https://rtionline.gov.in)

1. RTI for PMAY installment
2. RTI for land records
3. RTI for property mutation delay
4. RTI for property registration
5. RTI for property tax assessment
6. RTI for Smart City Mission funds
7. Pillar 2 — RTI for Community and Society
8. RTI property records before buying
9. Society NOC denied — resident action plan

Last reviewed: 5 July 2026.