This reporter, at the request of the residents invited their landlord, local civic officials, politicians and prominent personalities from the neighbourhood, for an `emergency' meeting, to give them a first-hand dekko of the precarious existence. Sidestepping officialdom completely, the residents of Popat Nivas on Mathuradas Road in Kandivli (West), coaxed civic officials to take spot-decisions on repairs and other works, paving the way for the eventual reconstruction of their dwellings.

When corporators Gopal Shetty and Shailaja Gerkar walked into the compound along with Ward Officer S Subramaniam, they were greeted by 13 sour-faced families. ``We have been living at the mercy of the Almighty for the last 15 years. Can you dosomething about it,'' asked Bharat bhai, setting the tone for the meeting.

As Subramaniam carefully picked his way up the rickety stairs, he was gently reminded that the residents had approached the ward office at least five times, but the landlord's objections had stonewalled their efforts.``Get me a photograph of the staircase and file an application... then you can go ahead with the repairs,'' Subramaniam declared, signally the first ever split-second decision taken under such circumstances.

Gopal Shetty, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), was not to be left behind. When residents pointed to the pools of sewage in the compound, he instantly asked the residents to arrange to have it cleaned up. ``No questions will be asked, I myself will oversee the work,'' he said, leaving the residents blinking in disbelief. Later, at noon, the corporators met Kapadia, who told his own sorry tale. He furnished records showing that rent had not been paid for eightyears. ``I have been paying the municipal tax out of my own pocket,'' he claimed.

The matter was set to rest by Shetty, who asked Kapadia to come up with a solution. Kapadia explained he could undertake repairs only if all the tenants moved out. He agreed to slash the cost of reconstruction and agreed to allow the tenants engage any contractor who agreed to complete the work at a the lowest cost. The tenants, delighted with the the progress, decided to convene another meeting to work out modalities. ``Almost 80 per cent of the residents are getting ready to move out,'' smiles Kishore Kale, one of the residents. Kapadia had earlier approached the Small Causes Court, asking that the tenants be evicted for reconstruction. The case is still pending but the tenants will need no persuasion now.

Most residents have agreed to vacate temporarily though it won't be easy. ``The Malad incident was an eye-opener... it can happen here too,'' shrugged Kishore Kale. ``We don't want that to happen,'' he added. Thelandlord agreed. A section of the building had collapsed in 1983, leaving five families homeless. Gajanan Pathare(70) and his wife still live in a tiny room with no roof and just two walls. Old saris tied together shield the Pathares on the elements on the other two sides.

The slabs on the first floor are propped up by bamboo poles and gaping holes perforate the floor on the second storey.

Hiraben, a retired school teacher, told the visiting officials: ``If you hadn't come now, you may have had to return again to pick up our corpses.'' But the residents needn't worry now.