Wadala Colony Redevelopment: Residents refuse to leave, seek agreement for new houses
By Gitanjali Das
The civic authority on Wednesday began clearing a Wadala colony marked for redevelopment, but 60 residents refused to move out, claiming the builder had not handed them copies of the agreement guaranteeing houses in the planned building.
They also said that they were yet to get rent cheques for their alternative accommodation. But East West Builders denied holding onto the cheques or the agreement.
While the 318 residents are not against redevelopment, a section wants better compensation and a transparent process for transferring the land to the builder for construction of an apartment building.
On Monday, the BMC gave the reluctant families 24 hours to move out. Some of the residents protested against the notice and moved the Bombay High Court, which rejected their appeal against eviction on Wednesday.
By Wednesday evening, most of the residents had packed up and left. But around 60 refused to budge. “Azad Nagar has always been known for its unity. But today, money has divided us,” said Vaishali Divecha, as she stood in front of her home, refusing to allow BMC workers inside.
Many others also protested against the eviction. Despite the police’s presence, an angry crowd surrounded BMC officials, and vowed not to vacate the colony until “correct legal procedures” were followed. “We have nowhere else to go. We will sit at the gate with all our belongings. Let’s see who tears down our homes,” another woman said.
Amid the chaos, the family of BMC employee Pranay Gawande nervously celebrated his upcoming wedding. “Various rituals have been planned over the next few days, but we don’t know if we will have a roof over our heads tomorrow,” he said.
Divecha said that most of the residents earned only Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 a month, and they cannot afford living on rent. “The builder has not given us rent cheques and copies of the agreement, despite several reminders. How can we leave our homes without valid paperwork?” she said, adding that some of the cheques given by the developer had bounced.
Divecha also alleged that some of the residents had moved out following threats.
Sonali Angre, a teacher and wife of retired police officer Ravindranath Angre, said that she was not against redevelopment, but the authorities should hear residents’ concerns. “I love this place. People of different communities live here and we all know each other by name. Azad Nagar is famous for its Navratri celebrations — the dancing goes on till 5 am,” said Sonali, who was born and brought up in Azad Nagar. “When I got married, I just moved into the next lane.”
Anubhav Agarwal, head of East West Builders, told Mirror that the residents had agreed to all the clauses in the sample agreement and had given an undertaking for the same in the court.
“Most of the plaintiffs have signed the agreement and taken the cheques. Why will I not issue them cheques? The agreements are available with us,” he said. “We had given residents several notices. If people claim that they are being threatened, they should produce proof.”
The civic authority on Wednesday began clearing a Wadala colony marked for redevelopment, but 60 residents refused to move out, claiming the builder had not handed them copies of the agreement guaranteeing houses in the planned building.
They also said that they were yet to get rent cheques for their alternative accommodation. But East West Builders denied holding onto the cheques or the agreement.
The redevelopment of Azad Nagar chawl, spread over 9 acres, has been subject to a legal wrangle between the developer and a section of families for the past 10 years. The dispute has been even heard by the Supreme Court.
While the 318 residents are not against redevelopment, a section wants better compensation and a transparent process for transferring the land to the builder for construction of an apartment building.
On Monday, the BMC gave the reluctant families 24 hours to move out. Some of the residents protested against the notice and moved the Bombay High Court, which rejected their appeal against eviction on Wednesday.
By Wednesday evening, most of the residents had packed up and left. But around 60 refused to budge. “Azad Nagar has always been known for its unity. But today, money has divided us,” said Vaishali Divecha, as she stood in front of her home, refusing to allow BMC workers inside.
Many others also protested against the eviction. Despite the police’s presence, an angry crowd surrounded BMC officials, and vowed not to vacate the colony until “correct legal procedures” were followed. “We have nowhere else to go. We will sit at the gate with all our belongings. Let’s see who tears down our homes,” another woman said.
Amid the chaos, the family of BMC employee Pranay Gawande nervously celebrated his upcoming wedding. “Various rituals have been planned over the next few days, but we don’t know if we will have a roof over our heads tomorrow,” he said.
Divecha said that most of the residents earned only Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 a month, and they cannot afford living on rent. “The builder has not given us rent cheques and copies of the agreement, despite several reminders. How can we leave our homes without valid paperwork?” she said, adding that some of the cheques given by the developer had bounced.
Divecha also alleged that some of the residents had moved out following threats.
Sonali Angre, a teacher and wife of retired police officer Ravindranath Angre, said that she was not against redevelopment, but the authorities should hear residents’ concerns. “I love this place. People of different communities live here and we all know each other by name. Azad Nagar is famous for its Navratri celebrations — the dancing goes on till 5 am,” said Sonali, who was born and brought up in Azad Nagar. “When I got married, I just moved into the next lane.”
Anubhav Agarwal, head of East West Builders, told Mirror that the residents had agreed to all the clauses in the sample agreement and had given an undertaking for the same in the court.
“Most of the plaintiffs have signed the agreement and taken the cheques. Why will I not issue them cheques? The agreements are available with us,” he said. “We had given residents several notices. If people claim that they are being threatened, they should produce proof.”
