MbPT tenants ask Milind Deora to help them fight Port Trust eviction

Troubled tenants turn to newly minted MPCC chief Milind Deora to help them fight Port Trust eviction threats

MbPT tenants ask Milind Deora to help them fight Port Trust eviction

Pic/Suresh Karkera

It was new chief, old problems as Milind Deora addressed a mammoth Port Trust-affected meeting at Cama Hall on Tuesday. The audience from south Mumbai to Wadala, congregated at the venue opposite Lion's Gate. These tenants continue to fear loss of home and for some, livelihood, with the Bombay Port Trust (MbPT) slapping eviction notices on tenant properties citing breaches.

The new messiah for the beleaguered tenants seems to be Milind Deora, just appointed Mumbai Congress chief. "Deora's office got in touch with us a few days ago," said Colaba businessman Pervez Cooper, at the forefront of the fight. "Tenants are going to tap every avenue and politician who promises to help. We haven't voted for the ruling party, only to have them throw us out of our homes," Cooper finished angrily.

Preeti Shenoy, a Reay Road resident, directly affected by Port Trust's eviction threats, said, "I do not know if any politician is going to help us. Remember that Deora was shipping minister in the previous government. This was not addressed at the time. A permanent solution is to give ownership to tenants. With elections round the corner, we are hoping for a miracle."

Sridhar Shenoy said, "The MbPT affected are a vote bank. The last time around Shiv Sena had promised help and garnered a lot of votes from SoBo to Wadala. We want the Public Premises Eviction (of unauthorised persons) Act to be scrapped. Think about the people living at a particular place for 50 plus years. Today, they are being slapped with eviction notices and lawyers are minting money fighting these cases."

Prerak Choudhary, advocate High Court, representing tenants said, "Cases against the Port Trust actions have been filed during the Congress regime, too. Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari had said at a previous meeting that they were simply continuing from where the previous government left off. I would not say the Opposition is bathed in milk. We need to meet the bosses of all parties. Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray must step in, we must be able to meet Rahul Gandhi, too."

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