He said after the GR is issued, the slums that have come up would be granted full protection under various government laws. They would be entitled to various schemes and be eligible for re-development under Slum Redevelopment Authority (SRA) norms.

The proposal to extend the date to 01-01-2000 was part of the Congress manifesto in the 2004 assembly elections, which it won and formed the Democratic Front government for the second consecutive term in partnership with the Nationalist Congress Party.

'By this one stroke, the ruling DF would get an edge in at least 20 percent of the 35 assembly seats in Mumbai,' a Congress party office-bearer said, requesting anonymity.

At present, of the total 1.3 crore Mumbaikars, an estimated 75 lakh people live in slums spread across the length and breadth of the city.

The new policy will benefit slums pockets that have cropped up in the last 15 years in suburbs like Dahisar, Borivli West, Malad, Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Mankhurd, Andheri East, and parts of central Mumbai.

However, those that have come after the proposed cut-off date (January 2000), shall be treated as illegal and can be demolished by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.