The Hindu : National : ‘Slumdog’ child actors may get flats soon

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‘Slumdog’ child actors may get flats soon

Rahi Gaikwad

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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