The family of Aarti Bhosale, who live in a 180-square-foot apartment on the fourth level of the Gharkul building in Byculla, which was developed by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), came dangerously close to death on July 22 when a slab crashed from the apartment above. I still get shivers when I think about what happened around ten o’clock at night. A similar event occurred in the adjacent apartment by two in the morning. Thankfully, nobody was harmed there, Aarti remarked.
Suvarna Mayekar, her 70-year-old neighbor, stated: “We noticed damages to our own slab after the slab collapsed in the adjacent flat.” It collapsed at two in the morning as well. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. However, we had to pay roughly ₹12,000 for the repairs. Owners of apartments in 388 MHADA buildings in neighborhoods including Colaba, Girgaon, Mumbadevi, Byculla, Shiwree, Prabhadevi, and Mahim share the same plight as Aarti and Suvarna. Approximately 150,000 residents experience financial and mental distress as a result of slab collapses and leaks.
These structures were built more than 35 years ago, and they are in terrible condition. Builders find it very profitable to redevelop buildings in island cities, but these are an anomaly because they are situated on small lots with little accessible area for construction. Another factor contributing to the impasse that the government imposed last year was the requirement that builders reimburse MHADA for repair costs, as well as the requirement that builders turn over 20% of the housing stock produced from surplus FSI for redevelopment to MHADA for free sale, thereby lowering their profit margin.
As a result, on August 28, the MHADA Sangharsh Kruti Samitee staged a protest at Azad Maidan to raise awareness of the predicament of those who were living under duress. Political figures didn’t take long to capitalize on the problem. Support was offered by BJP MLA Kalidas Kolambkar, NCP (SP) leader Vidya Chavan, MNS leader Bala Nandgaokar, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant, and MLA Ajay Chowdhury. The protesters were then calmed down by Mumbai’s guardian minister Deepak Kesarkar, who was escorted there by chief minister Shinde, who promised a “speedy resolution to the issue.”
Chavan was echoed by MHADA Sangharsh Kruti Samitee working president Eknath Rajapure, who said, “Our demands are connected with policy matters, which the CM can resolve.”
Source: Hindustan Times
