Shaky Mumbra bldgs may stand : Hindustan Times

Residents of extremely dilapidated buildings want time till Ramzan to vacate; TMC speaks in two voices

THANE: 

The plan to redevelop extremely dilapidated buildings in Mumbra has hit another roadblock.

The civic body has claimed that the residents have put forth a demand to stall the project for a while as they do not want to vacate their homes during Ramzan. The residents, in a letter to the corporation ward office, said if they are made to shift now, they won’t be able to attend the prayer sessions or go to the nearby Ramzan markets.

Ashraf Pathan, a Mumbra corporator, said, “The residents have been living in Mumbra f or years now and used to celebrating the festival here. Rehabilitating them to Vartak Nagar will put a damper on their celebrations.”

For the past two months, the corporation has failed to start work on the project as the residents refuse to vacate the buildings.

Of the 27 buildings in Mumbra that have been identified as extremely dangerous, the corporation has managed to get only six buildings vacated. Further, they have demolished only one building so far.

The civic commissioner had given directives to vacate and demolish the structures before monsoon. The corporation has demolished such structures across all other wards except Mumbra.

Only after the spell of heavy rain was the corporation able to convince a few residents to vacate the six buildings. However, with the onset of Ramzan, residents have again demanded that the demolition be stopped.

Imtiyaz Shemle is one such resident who purchased a lowcost flat in Mumbra years ago only to realise that the building was ille gal. Now, it has also been declared extremely dangerous.

“During Ramzan, Mumbra is just like Mohammed Ali Road. We just have to step outside our homes and everything is available. This won’t be possible in the rental homes or anywhere else outside Mumbra,” he said.

Ashok Burpulle, officer incharge of encroachment department, said, “We managed to get three buildings at Mumbra vacated at week and efforts are on to convince more people to shift. With Ramzan going on, we have received request from the residents to stop the demolition work. However, we won’t let it affect the demolition drive, as there are several lives at stake.”

The junior officers, however, claimed they have given consideration to the people till the holy month ends.

Activists blamed the corporation for dillydallying with the project. Mangal Patil, a local activist, said, “The corporation should have finished the demolition work by now. Were they waiting for Ramzan all these months? They should now at least guarantee that the dangerous structures are demolished after Ramzan.”

Of the 58 extremely dangerous buildings in the Thane city, the corporation has vacated 36 buildings, of which 20 have been demolished. Around 27 extremely dilapidated buildings are located in Mumbra alone, of which 21 are still occupied. Around 2,000 families reside in these extremely dangerous buildings.