The monsoon is round the corner, and a familiar, forbidding story waits to unfold. All over Mumbai, people live dangerously in dilapidated buildings, and almost every monsoon, there is at least one building collapse in the city.
In Bhendi Bazaar, one such locality that is witnessing redevelopment of old buildings, residents and activists got together on Sunday to urge tenants to move before it is too late. Nearly 150 people participated in the ‘Monsoon Awareness Walk’, organised by the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (SBUT), which is executing the Bhendi Bazaar Redevelopment Project. Around 600 families live in dilapidated buildings in the area and have not yet agreed to move out of their homes.
“The message of this walk is not just for people living in dilapidated buildings in Bhendi Bazaar, but all over Mumbai. No one wants a repeat of the Hussaini building tragedy,” said Saifuddin Patnawala, a representative of the trust. In August 2017, the 117-year-old Hussaini building in Bhendi Bazaar collapsed, claiming the lives of 37 people. Mr. Patanwala said the incident shook many in the community.
“One of the key messages of this campaign is Zidd Nahi Zindagi (no obstinacy, only life). We want residents to move out of their own accord. However, if we are left with no other choice, they will be forcibly evicted,” he said. While the Trust is engaging with each family to resolve their issues, notices have been also been served to them to vacate.
‘Problems of our own’
Residents, however, say they have their constraints. Murtaza Kanchwala, a resident who participated in the walk, said, “We would like to move but our landlord has not transferred the building to the trust. Our building is nearly 100 years old and there are 20 families living there.” The redevelopment project involves around 250 buildings, of which the trust is yet to acquire even 10%.
According to an SBUT spokesperson, of the 3,200 families covered under the project, more than 2,400 have moved out and have either been given alternative accommodation in Chunabhatti or money for a rental accommodation of their choice. Tahir Ali, another participant in the walk, has been living in Chunabhatti for nearly six years. “The benefits of the project outweigh the issues. Three of the 27 families continue to live in my building, which is over 60 years old. We are trying to convince the few who remain,” Mr. Ali said.
Congress MLA from Mumbadevi Amin Patel flagged off the walk, which included current and former residents and students. “There is a history of old buildings collapsing during the rains. Last year it was here, a year before that it was in Kamathipura. I request all those living in such buildings to vacate their premises,” Mr. Patel said.
The Fire Department held a mock drill highlighting precautionary measures.
Published - May 14, 2018 12:29 am IST
