Culture

`Slumdog' child stars to get Govt flats in Mumbai

by Sanjay Jha | February 24, 2009 at 08:27 pm

396 views | 22 Recommendations | 3 comments

The local government of Mumbai has decided to provide Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, who have featured in Oscar winning `Slumdog Millionaire'. The child artists are currently living in Garibnagar, a slum locality in suburban Bandra of Mumbai.

Slumdog Millionaire child actors Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and Rubina Rafiq Qureshi may say goodbye to their slum. Their glory at the Oscars has woken the State government to their plight. The government now is planning to give flats to them, under the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) scheme.

Azhar and Rubina are presently living at the Garib Nagar slum in Bandra, Mumbai. The boy is homeless. A tattered makeshift shelter made of bits of tarpaulin and cloth constitutes his house. Rubina too lives in a small room.

On Tuesday, Amarjeet Singh Manhas Chairman of MHADA’s Mumbai Board wrote to the government seeking an approval for two flats. “Mr. Kripashankar Singh [Mumbai Congress president] directed me to take up the matter of allotting homes to the child artists. Accordingly, I have written to the government and the authority for sanction,” Mr. Manhas said.

According to a Congress press release, Mr. Singh has requested Chief Minister Ashok Chavan to allot two flats to Azhar and Rubina.

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rumana husain

at 01:11 on February 25th, 2009

wonderful news. at least when the stardust is shaken off, they will have a better future to look forward to.

Shailendra_blr

at 20:29 on February 25th, 2009

its nice that gov is doing something to help kids living in slums.... but it also needs us to come forward to help these kids...

nazir patel (not verified)

at 20:29 on February 26th, 2009

When Azharuddin and Rubina reached the slum in Bandra around 5 am These actors who had just stayed a posh L.A hotel were taken to their slums. Shouldn't the flats have been ready for them as promised and shouldn't they have been going with keys to their newly decorated flats directly from the airport ?
Or are they already forgotten ? nazir patel I have also sent email to ashokchavanmind@rediffmail.com chiefminister@maharashtra.gov.in