The government has stressed the need for architecture with social responsibility. The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) has taken flak for not doing so, while rehousing slum dwellers. In an interview with Hemal Ashar, SRA chief executive officer Ujwal Uke lets fly at his critics and says that slum dwellers cannot be wished away. Excerpts: On shifting slum dwellers to the outskirts: Slums have to be cleared, but shifting slum dwellers to the outskirts is not a viable option. Horizontal mobility will be choked as the service class will be coming into the city in the morning and leaving for home at night. This city needs the service classes as they make our lives easier. But we are not bothered where they go, where they stay. Our attitude is let them live anywhere out of sight as long as they do our work. This is not just foolishness, but callousness. On the perception that when slum dwellers are rehoused, they sell the house, take the money and move: This is untrue. At least 70 to 80 per cent of slum dwellers live in the houses provided by the slum rehabilitation scheme. Those who leave are the ones who cannot pay for water and electricity. These are not slum dwellers, but destitutes. On NGOs fighting about open spaces being eaten up by development: Some NGOs like CitiSpace are harebrained. They do not realise the only way this city can grow is vertically. Only then we can have open spaces. A park that is encroached can be cleared of slum dwellers, 15 per cent of the space developed (can be used for construction purposes), and the rest remains open space. But by insisting there can be no development, the open space will be encroached by slums and will soon be out of bounds for everybody. On the perception that builders benefit the most from the SRA by building freesale buildings: The developers have the money. The SRA scheme is developer-oriented right now because nobody is willing to finance the rehousing of the slum dwellers. The scheme will move forward only if we have NGOs involved. Look at the film industry. Ever since banks have started financing films, allegations about underworld money have disappeared. Give me finance and the SRA scheme will take off. The SRA has been heavily criticised: This is because slum rehabilitation is for the poor man, for the voiceless. It is very easy for the media to fling mud on us. Whenever there is a controversy regarding slum redevelopment, high-profile people approach the press. They try to bring pressure by extra-constitutional means. Tell them to go approach the local MLA. At the time of the general elections, the elite people do not vote because they are holidaying abroad.