Mumbai: Homebuyers protest outside Goregaon's Patra Chawl, demand immediate possession of flats

Several homebuyers stood outside the stalled residential complexes in Patra Chawl in Goregaon on Sunday morning in a protest demanding immediate possession of their flats.

As per a statement by the homebuyers, they are forced to pay rent and EMIs but are still waiting to gain possession of their flats.

They further stated that they have neither received any help from the builder nor the government.

What is the Patra Chawl redevelopment issue?

Patra Chawl in Goregaon's Siddarth Nagar area went for redevelopment in 2008.

MHADA took on the redevelopment project, appointing Guru Ashish Construction Private Limited (GACPL), a sister concern of real estate firm Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), to rehabilitate over 670 tenants and redevelop the neighbourhood.

GACPL, the tenants' society, and MHADA signed a tripartite agreement. According to the agreement, GACPL was to provide flats to 672 tenants of Patra Chawl, develop flats for MHADA, and sell the remaining area to private developers.

Following this, the tenants left the chawl by 2010, but 14 years later, they have yet to receive their promised homes.

In addition, under the agreement's free sale provision, developers sold apartments to approximately 1,700 families. There are three projects in the sale component: Kalpataru Radiance, Ekta Tripolis, and Sangam Lifespaces.

The real estate firms who have built these projects are unable to hand over possession. The home buyers claim it is due to administrative delays and a dispute between the developers and MHADA over pending liabilities totalling approximately Rs 3,100 crore.