On Thursday morning, hundreds of people from the Bandra Kurla Complex’s Bharat Nagar shanties demonstrated in the streets as government officials showed up with demolition tools.
The commotion comes after a contentious incident two days prior in which Zeeshan Siddique, the son of deceased minister Baba Siddique, expressed shock at a police chargesheet that failed to include the Bharat Nagar slum rehabilitation project. Zeeshan has claimed that his father died as a result of the project.
The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) had notified 188–190 buildings in one area of Bharat Nagar that they would soon be demolished. Many locals came to oppose the plan and demand that the status quo be upheld, creating a heated scene.
For almost twenty years, the redevelopment of Bharat Nagar has been a controversial topic. Budhpur Buildcon, a division of the Ahmedabad-based Adani Group, has taken up the project in the most recent effort to renovate the area.
The matter of redevelopment received a lot of attention prior to the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Residents have repeatedly called for the neighbourhood to not be labelled a slum. Rather, they urge the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) to recognise their status and rights. Additionally, several locals claimed that the Bombay High Court was considering the case and contended that no demolition should take place until the court’s ruling.
“We will not oppose demolition for development work, but residents should first get information about where they will be settled,” stated Varun Sardesai, the Bandra East MLA who visited the site during the protests. An agreement with the residents ought to exist. The administration should abide by the Supreme Court’s decision to halt the destruction. If someone leaves the area on their initiative, I don’t mind, but the government shouldn’t tear down their houses.
Although the demolition has been temporarily stopped by the Supreme Court’s involvement, the project is still enmeshed in dispute. Many residents are afraid of being uprooted, and resistance is fuelled by unclear rehabilitation plans.
Zeeshan Siddique’s remarks have made the matter more politically sensitive. He expressed his disappointment with the chargesheet’s omissions earlier this week, restating his conviction that his father’s death was connected to the Bharat Nagar redevelopment project.
The locals’ demands and the specifics of how the project will solve their concerns have not yet been addressed by the authorities or developers.
Source: Hindustan Times
