Mumbai: In its annual pre-monsoon exercise, the Mumbai Building Repairs and Reconstruction Board (MBRRB) has asked the tenants of ‘most dangerous’ buildings to vacate their houses as a preventive measure. This year, the MBRRB, an undertaking of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), has declared 23 buildings in South Mumbai as ‘most dangerous’. There are 507 families and 308 commercial tenants inhabiting these buildings. There is, however, delay in shifting these tenants to safer tenements. According to a source, even though the MBRRB plans to offer these families tenements in Shreeniwas Mill at Lower Parel and Bombay Dyeing Mill at Wadala, these very same transit homes have been reserved for the tenants of the Bombay Development Directorate (BDD) Chawl tenants.
Result: A conflict has arisen between both the boards over the allotment of these houses. The MBRRB chairman, Vinod Ghosalkar, had announced on May 6, the board would offer 1,875 transit houses to the occupants of these ‘dangerous’ buildings in Lower Parel and Wadala, as the latter usually refuse to vacate their homes since the alternatives are located in far-off places, affecting their children’s education. However, if the tussle continues, then the MBRRB only has homes in Gorai to offer its tenants, informed the MHADA source. Clarifying on the situation, Ghosalkar asserted, “The transit homes in the mill areas would only be offered to families living in ‘dangerous’ structures, as the shifting of residents in cessed building is takes priority.”
Meanwhile, he stated, the vice-president of the MHADA has not given any order reserving these mill houses for BDD Chawl tenants. A few officials themselves took the decision and he has sought an explanation from them. According to the MHADA, so far notices have been sent to 445 tenants of these ‘most dangerous’ buildings, of which 391 have refused to vacate while 197 moved of their own accord and six tenants have moved into transit homes provided by the MHADA.
