Infamous Five

Located next to spice shops on the crowded Maulana Azad Road in Mumbai Central,this three-storey structure has one-third of its 28 residential and two commercial tenants still living here. K S Hind,the landlord,has proposed to redevelop the building and signed agreements with 20 of the 30 tenants. The others are reluctant to give their consent or move out of the premises. They are not even willing to move to transit camps offered by MHADA. “The developer has not presented proper plans for redevelopment. He is not being open with us. How can we trust him? We won’t give up our homes and go to the poorly maintained transit camps. The condition of our building is not bad. Only the fittings and wiring are old,but the building can be easily maintained with a few repairs,” said Mohammed Sharif,a resident. However,most believe that the building is beyond repair and in dire need of redevelopment. “Just a few families are holding the entire project hostage. The building’s condition is poor and needs redevelopment,” said Haroon Ansari,who has given his consent for redevelopment. Ahir had instructed the developer and tenants to jointly decide on whether redevelopment is feasible and vacate premises within 10 days.

236D,Ahmed Building

This two-storey building is located in a bylane of Maulana Azad Road. It has eight families on the first floor; the ground floor is used as a warehouse. The landlord,Imran Attarwale,is working on a redevelopment plan. The residents will be provided with rent for the period. They are expected to move out by the end of this month. “I am happy about the renovation. We can come back to a better and safer building,” said Sakina,a tenant. Five families like Sakina’s have given their consent to move out,while the rest are unwilling. Another resident expressed discontent about the project. “So far,they have been vague about where we will be relocated,what compensation we will be provided,etc. This is our home. We will not go from here,” he said.

Ghoghari Mohalla 92/94

Most of the 18 families of the two-storey building,also known as Sanchawala building,are too used to the quiet street within the bustle of Pydhonie. They are opposed to the idea of moving out. Some say they have written to MHADA,stating they would not leave their homes and would assume responsibility for any accidents or damages to the building. Zaba Sheikh,a resident,said,“This is our home. Many of us have our work places nearby,our children go to school here. If they move us to transit camps,how will we survive? The transit camps are in a terrible condition,and we might have to live there indefinitely.” Occupants of at least six rooms have not given their consent for redevelopment. On the date of the last inspection in May (of MHADA’s three inspections this year),officials found no cooperation from residents.

Balkrishna,6,Bhandarwada Cross Lane

This two-storey building,at a corner behind a temple at Bhandarwada Cross Lane in Girgaum,has eight residential and three commercial tenants. All continue to occupy the building despite notices from MHADA. The tenants have agreed to shift to transit camps while their building is repaired. However,they were not happy with the transit camp. “We were given accommodation in Dharavi,but people from our community don’t live in those buildings. We have requested for transit accommodation somewhere else,” said Parag Washirde,who works as a real estate broker. Ahir agreed to look into the issue and provide residents with transit tenements somewhere else.

24,Kumbhar Tukda lane,

Govardhan Niwas

The building wears a desolate look at the end of the narrow Kumbhar Tukda lane in Bhuleshwar,Govarsdhan Nivas. All the 35 tenements have been lying empty for about a year. However,10 commercial tenants are refusing to move. The landowner,R M Bhuther,has proposed to redevelop this three-storey building and secured the consent of all residential tenants,but has been unable to negotiate with the commercial tenants,who are demanding ground-floor accommodation in the redeveloped building. “It is not possible to accommodate all of them on the ground floor so we offered them space on the ground floor of another adjoining plot,which we will redevelop soon,” said Harish Bhattad,a representative of the landlord. However,the commercial tenants are still refusing to shift.