The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday expressed serious concern on the condition of slum residents in Mumbai and asked the Secretary, Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), for a report on the status of housing for the economically weaker sections (EWS).

In a statement, the NHRC said it had acted on a complaint and issued notices to the MoHUA and the Maharashtra government. While the Maharashtra government responded through the Chief Secretary, saying that “shortage of funds” had been a constraint, the Centre said 58,225 houses had been grounded out of the 2.24 lakh sanctioned in Maharashtra under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).

The NHRC had sought a response from the Ministry within four weeks. Earlier, in its response to the NHRC on December 3, 2021, the Ministry had said that “land and colonisation are State subjects”.