This letter represents grievance of lacs of people who booked apartments in residential projects called “Blue Diamond” and “Runwal Infinity” which are projects of leading Mumbai developers ‘Nirmal Lifestyles’ & Runwal Group in Mulund, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The projects were flagged off in the year 2003 (Blue Diamond) and 2006 (Runwal Infinity) and the delivery of this project was scheduled for end of 2006 (Blue Diamond) and 2008 (Runwal Infinity). It is now 2011 and we are nowhere near in getting possession of our cherished homes. Various permits and clearances as required for the construction of the apartment were approved and registered by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation and subsequently housing loans were approved and disbursed by the banks (public as well as private).

The construction was progressing and the builder’s demand for payments based on slab was met by us regularly. Some of us have taken housing loans to make these payments. A few unfortunate amongst us started living in rented homes having sold their existing homes to make these payments. Some of us made full down payment to the builder.

We were shown all the clearance paper approved by BMC, also all the loans were sanctioned by the nationalized banks and project was going on smoothly, as per the agreement we were paying loans in installment based on casting of each floor builder, until around August 2007 by which time close to 50% of the construction of the building was completed.

Then suddenly there was a bolt from the blue. One NGO Bombay Environmental Action Group” filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Mumbai High courts claiming that these tracts of land on which these housing projects was constructed was forest land prior to 1955. Mumbai High Court stayed any further construction on these lands in June 2005 which subsequently halted the construction.

Five years has passed. We are running from pillar to post, we have tried all possible avenues but so far nothing has happened. Case is swinging in between High court to Supreme Court. Different committees have looked into matter with no result. While the law is taking its own time, hundreds of us are paying rent to have a roof over our head and making hefty bank payments towards the loans we took to purchase the flat.

We have put our plight on internet.
http://www.petitiononline.com/bdri1234/petition.html

1) The SC needs to provide a quick and fair justice on the Forest Land Issue.
2) The State Govt, MOEF and BMC should work in tandem on granting clearance & approval of building constructions and not suddenly declare areas to be forest area.