Mumbai, July 31 -- The Mahayuti government has cancelled the decision to give ownership homes to government employees residing in staff quarters in the Sawali building in Worli, indicating its reluctance to rehabilitate government employees in ownership flats at the place of their official residence. The development comes amid demands for ownership homes from government employees residing in the Government Colony in Bandra, which is slated for redevelopment. The state government has appointed a committee of senior officials to identify land and formulate conditions for giving them ownership homes, but no time frame has been specified for the committee to submit its report. Against this backdrop, the government on Tuesday issued a government resolution (GR) cancelling the previous Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government's decision in January 2022 to provide 500-square feet ownership homes to employees living in Sawali building since January 1, 2011 or earlier. "Sawali building and nearby chawls will be redeveloped along with the BDD chawl redevelopment project and all flats in redeveloped buildings will be given to the public works department and general administration department to use as staff quarters," said the GR issued by the housing department. While Sawali building has 48 staff quarters, 18 families that have been living there since January 1, 2011 or earlier were slated to get ownership flats as per the MVA government's decision, which has now been scrapped. The GR issued on Tuesday clarified that the decision was cancelled to forestall demands for in situ rehabilitation from government employees living in other parts of Mumbai. It also quoted the opinion of the law and judiciary department, which said that government employees living in staff quarters cannot lay claim on the quarters. The GR also cited a Supreme Court order from 2014 in Omkarnath Dhar vs Union of India, which clarified that the right to shelter did not mean the right to government accommodation. "Government accommodation is meant for serving officers and officials and not to the retirees as a benevolence and distribution of largesse," the GR stated, quoting from the apex court order. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Sunil Shinde condemned the move, saying though police personnel residing in the BDD chawls will be given ownership flats as part of the redevelopment project, the same has now been denied to government employees and their families living in Sawali building. "This is gross injustice for the 18 families," he said....