BMC will cut gas, power to Campa Cola, but the battle is not yet over

Finally, after days of a stalemate threatening to get out of hand, the residents of the Campa Cola buildings in Mumbai relented on Sunday evening after an hour’s discussion with chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. Occupants of the 100-odd unauthorised flats in the buildings have agreed – after having complaints filed against them for obstructing government officers in carrying out their duty – to let BMC officials enter and disconnect power, gas and water supply lines to their homes.

The reason for the days of defiance appearing to pipe down was cited as exhaustion with fighting the might of the government.

“We are tired of all this, can’t do this any more. We will explore all legal solutions. We were all fighting to save our homes. We will comply with the Supreme Court order… We will open our gates for the BMC to execute their duties,” one of the residents, Ashish Jalan, was quoted as saying.

But the residents’ battle is not over.

A report in The Indian Express points out that the residents agreed to relent – and apologise to harried civic officials – after discussing with Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan the possibility of reducing the extent of demolition from 100-odd flats to just about 22 flats.

According to the report, residents have now demanded that the area of construction that is within the permissible FSI (floor space index) of the plot be regularised. If the total permissible FSI of the plot is taken into consideration and illegal construction to the extent of available FSI regularised, then only 1,774 sq metres will have to be demolished, around 22 flats, says the report.

Interestingly, the BMC has already rejected this application.

Yet, residents have contended that this FSI is area that rightfully belongs to the society.

A report in The Times of India also said the residents claimed the chief minister assured them that he would favourably consider their future plans for redevelopment of the buildings.

The continued search for alternatives to demolition comes seven months after the Supreme Court ordered the demolition of the unauthorised flats in the buildings.

While a civic team was to start its work in November last year, the Supreme Court gave a six-month extension on humanitarian grounds after residents gave an undertaking to vacate voluntarily at the end of the six-month extension of the deadline.

It was perhaps the threat of standing in contempt of that SC order that finally led the residents to back off, for now.

The BMC ensured they got videography of their peaceful entreaties over three days to the residents to let them do their job as mandated by the Supreme Court.

Even Urban Development minister Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday that there was little they could do “at this stage” apart from buy the residents some more time.

For now, the chief minister who has previously said political interference in the “strict and specific orders” would be improper, appears to have bought some time for himself and for his party by getting the residents to agree to the disconnection of utilities while other options are explored.

Reports  said the BMC officials would start their work of disconnecting utilities at 11 am on Monday. But that will not mark the end of the residents’ fight, it will mark the start of the next phase of the Campa Cola saga.