Campa Cola residents rely on politicians
Once again knocking the doors of politicians after the Supreme Court ordered them to vacate their homes by May 31 are residents of buildings at the Campa Cola compound in central Mumbai.
The Supreme Court declined to extend the deadline given to the residents last year, on Monday. The residents of seven buildings which are to be partially destroyed are now pinning their hopes on the politicians to save their homes even as they look for other legal streets.
Nandini Mehta, a resident said “We will refer our legal team before determining on our next course of action.” While some want the BJP-Shiv Sena combine which controls the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to use its powers to stall the demolition and other residents want Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi to intervene
Mumbai mayor (Sunil Prabhu) said after meeting with the residents on Monday evening, “The Maharashtra Government should issue an decree to prevent the buildings from being destroyed,” While Chief Minister Prithiviraj Chavan has promised support to the residents, Mumbai’s Municipal Commissioner Sitaram Kunte has announced that the civic body will soon float tenders to carry out the demolition.
Private contractors appointed by it will cut the beams and bring down the illegal stories one by one, while the BMC’s squad will break the interior walls of the buildings,
The government was within its powers to rein in Kunte was felt by Mayor Prabhu.
A resident told reporters outside the buildings, “Some politicians want to hand over the prime property to builders for constructing multi-storeyed towers here.”
Opposition parties here claim that sections of the ruling party may be conspiring with builders to demolish parts of different buildings to render them unsafe.
The BMC had in 1980 given the company permission to develop the plot. Appropriately, builder Yusuf Patel and others were roped in to construct seven buildings.
The Campa Cola apartments were constructed on land leased to Pure Drinks Ltd by the Maharashtra Government in 1955.
While the BMC allowed permission to build seven buildings of ground plus-five floors, the builders constructed one building, Midtown, of 20 floors. Another building, Orchid rose to 17 storeys. Other buildings in the complex, Esha Ekta, Shubh rose eight and seven stories respectively while others, BY and Patel are six floors each.
Residents claimed that the civic body did nothing to devour the illegal structures before they were occupied, they also unproven they were duped by the builders.
Source: Tribune
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